Junior year
by Jaguarin
Summary: Afther sophomore, Junior year begins. Barbara begin to discover the abilities of Helena as meta-human. COMPLETE
1. A new day

The first year living with Helena wasn't easy. The teen had so much anger inside of her that Barbara was having a hard time trying to manage it. Helena easily would choose the wrong way, the simpler route so she needed be one step in front of her. But now when she talked with Helena she would still occasionally hide things but not as she did in the past. They became friends.  
  
Barbara had gotten a job at the high school as an English teacher. She liked working with young people and she could be near the kid just in case. In her free time she started to work on a better wheelchair, an electric one; the manual didn't give her enough movement, she needed a more responsive chair.  
  
That Saturday night Barbara went to bed early. Helena couldn't sleep so around midnight she got up to prepare a sandwich and a glass of milk. She was wearing an old baseball shirt of Barbara's as pyjamas. Barbara had tossed it out in the trash and she had picked it up because it was soft and long. She sat down to watch TV until she felt sleepy and bored. She walked in front of Barbara's bedroom and she heard sobbing. She stopped and put her ear to the door. Slowly she opened it; the room was dark, but that wasn't a matter for her eyes.  
  
Barbara was in the middle of her worse nightmare, the Joker was following her and since she couldn't walk to escape she had to resort to dragging herself. The Joker laughed circling her with a gun in his hand.  
  
"Barbara?" Helena called to her in a low voice, but the redhead didn't respond. Helena walked in and saw her moving restlessly in the bed.  
  
The Joker was laughing insanely; Barbara tried to escape even though she knew it was impossible. He suddenly was all over her circling her throat with his hands squeezing strongly. She tried to break his grip in a vain attempt to escape.  
  
"Barbara, are you okay?" Helena saw that her friend was sweating and moved her head side to side. She knew something was wrong. She stood next the bed and leaned over her. The redhead reacted violently when she felt the hand of Helena touching her. Helena didn't see it coming; she just felt a hard blow to her face that made her see stars. She stepped back, stumbled over the wheel chair, and fell on the floor with a loud thud. Barbara woke up abruptly with the noise; she turned on the light, and saw the girl lying stunned on the floor.  
  
"Helena!" Barbara exclaimed, and putting her hands on the floor, she got down off the bed and dragged herself toward the girl. "Helena, are you okay?" She noticed the kid was semi conscious; a light train of blood was trickling from her nose. She went to her night table and took out a bottle alcohol, wetted a scarf, and waved it under Helena's nose to help bring her to. The girl slowly came to protesting when Barbara held her gently against the floor.  
  
"Let me see okay?" Barbara asked and examined a small cut over the bridge of her nose. Barbara cleaned her nostrils. "Helena, please don't move. I'm so sorry that I hit you, I was in the middle of a nightmare."  
  
"Did you have an iron in your hand?" Helena mumbled.  
  
"You need some ice . Oh, sorry, tomorrow you are going to have a lovely black eye. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I heard you crying and I stepped in, Wow. You are so strong. Now I believe that you were Batgirl." Helena was really surprised of the strength of Barbara; she never imagined it. She took the scarf and put it under her nostrils.  
  
"Can you stand up?" Barbara felt ashamed; she had hit her too hard.  
  
"Give me a second." Helena felt slightly dizzy "Remind me never to make you mad."  
  
"I'll go to the kitchen for some ice." Barbara took hold of the wheelchair and lifted herself up with great agility.  
  
A few minutes later, Helena was lying on Barbara's bed with her head back. Barbara entered with a bag with ice and wheeled next to her. She took her hand off of her nose.  
  
"The bleeding stopped. Put this over your nose," she said, giving her the ice bag.  
  
The girl obeyed and said, "I can't imagine you and my mom in a battle; that must have been a very painful fight."  
  
"Just a little," Barbara laughed. "Your mom hits very hard and she once broke my nose."  
  
"So this was revenge." Helena joked.  
  
"Of course not. I got in a few good blows of my own."  
  
"Don't make me hate you."  
  
"My best revenge was once when I gave her a cold bath in the river." Barbara took off the ice bag of her nose and put a piece of tape over the cut.  
  
"Ouch. you were so evil with her, Barbara"  
  
"Not too much, just a bit. Ready, now let's go to sleep."  
  
"May I sleep here?" Helena asked.  
  
"No, tomorrow is Sunday. You love waking up early, especially this day of the week, and turn ing on TV. Young lady, not in my room. I want to sleep late," Barbara pointed out to her.  
  
"Oh, come on Barbara your TV is better than the one in the living room."  
  
"I said no."  
  
"I'm going to be bored." Helena muttered.  
  
"Yes, and you want have fun with me, no, forget it." Barbara smiled at her.  
  
"Barbara!!" Helena pleaded.  
  
"No."  
  
Helena looked at her with puppy eyes.  
  
"Don't do that!" Barbara pointed at her.  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Oh God! Helena!"  
  
* * *   
  
Gibson was sleeping soundly when he heard some knocks on his window. He woke up and looked at his watch, it was 9:30 Sunday morning. He drowsily stood up and walked to it. He moved the curtain and found Helena there so he opened the window. "What are you doing here?" He looked down while Helena walked in. "I'm bored. Let's go to the movies." She said. "Helena are almost three floors." He pointed down and Helena looked down. "I know; let's go." Helena smiled at him. "Barbara gave me money and permission to be at the movies all morning-I blackmailed her. The tickets are 2X1."  
  
"Why didn't Barbara go with you?" Gibson asked rubbing his eyes. "She doesn't like to wake up early on Sundays." Helena jumped on the bed and hugged a pillow "She gave me permission to go; it was easy to convince her. She tells me often enough that I'm almost a pain in the ass." "And that is my fault?" "Well, you are my friend and friends must stick together in good and bad times." "Yes, and Sunday morning is a really bad time... hey what happened to you?" Gibson noticed the black eye and the cut over her nose.  
  
"I fell last night and hit in the kitchen table. Come on Gibson!" Helena tried to hurry him up.  
  
Gibson took out some clean clothes to take a bath. "Okay, I'll go, I'll go, just just ring the doorbell the next time; you will break your neck one day jumping like a rabbit on buildings." "Okay... but your mother would be mad if I rang so early and kill me." "That's the idea." Gibson smiled, entering the bathroom. "Now she is traveling with my dad; you are lucky." Gibson was out thirty minutes later. "Ready Helena?" he said, but the girl didn't respond. He looked around, finding Helena sound asleep on his mattress. "Hey Helena, let's go." Helena didn't move; she was out cold. "Great!" he exclaimed and rolled his eyes, when she fell asleep no one could wake up her. He rested on the other side of the bed and took back his pillow. "Just don't kick, all right?" he said. Helena grumbled and turned to the other side covering herself with the blankets. 


	2. Discovering Helena

Barbara was exercising in the gym; she had hung by her legs and was lifting her torso. She loved being in excellent physical condition; not being able to walk wasn't an impediment to do it. She had continued her escrima stick classes and had strong arms that helped her to fight better. Every day she improved and her teacher had told her that she was almost as good as him.  
  
She was thinking about Helena, she had hit her very hard the poor girl. Her nightmares were very realistic and she couldn't avoid that accident. She heard her arriving home in a good mood from the movies. She heard Helena calling her and she shouted that she was at the gym. Helena entered and looked her. Barbara never ceased to surprise her; she had an incredible body; be a disabled person wasn't an obstacle for her.  
  
"Hi Helena, How was your all day movie?" Barbara asked.  
  
"Well... I slept until 2 PM and later we just could see one movie." Helena sat in front of her on the floor crossing her legs.  
  
"Slept? You were up since 8 AM and you told me you will go with Gibson to the movies."  
  
"Yes, but he took a bath. Did you know he is worse than a woman, he took so much time and I fell asleep..."  
  
"You woke up the poor guy and then you fell asleep?" Barbara stopped doing her exercises and looked at her.  
  
"Was his fault, not mine; he took his time taking a bath." Helena explained again cocking her head  
  
"You are terrible." Barbara restarted her exercise  
  
"I'm not..."  
  
"Yes, you are." Barbara stopped her exercises again and looked her.  
  
"Well, just a bit" Helena said with that smile that no one could resist. "Hey Barbara! Jack went to the same movie."  
  
"Are you talking about Jack Barret?" Barbara knew that the boy was the platonic love of Helena and they never spoken to one another. "He went with you and your friends to the movies?"  
  
Helena blushed and looked down "No, I saw him at the distance, he went with his friends."  
  
"Maybe you should try saying 'hi' to him some day. Why don't you try again with Nathan Werther, the cutest guy in school?"  
  
"After I spilled the lunch. all over, forget it!" the girl laughed. "How is your chair going?"  
  
"Very well, when I'm finished with it, I will be able to manage it using a control in one of the arms of the chair. I have an idea but I need work out the details. If I can connect the responses of my neural system to the principal memory of the hard drive of the chair, I would control..."  
  
"Time!" Helena raised her hand. "English please"  
  
"Well, if it works I would control the chair by just thinking."  
  
"That is cool."  
  
"Did you eat?" Barbara pulled her chair near to got down.  
  
"No. Well just two bags of popcorn. Is there something good in your always empty refrigerator?"  
  
"Do you like to go out to eat pizza?"  
  
"And we can watch another movie?" Helena's eyes shined.  
  
Barbara smiled and sat on the chair "Ok, but if I pay for the pizza I get to choose the picture. Just let me down off of here and take a bath." Suddenly Barbara was distracted by Helena's wound over her nose.  
  
"Something wrong?" Helena asked realizing that Barbara was looking at her in a strange way.  
  
"Come here." Barbara wriggled a finger at her. Helena did as bidden. Barbara examined the cut she gave her last night "You have a light black ring under your eye which is normal, but your wound. is almost closed."  
  
"I heal faster." Helena said.  
  
"Always?"  
  
"Yes, always."  
  
Barbara put her hands over her knees. After a few seconds in silence she wheeled to the lab. "Follow me, I need ask you something."  
  
"And the movies?"  
  
"This just will take us a few minutes. I need do some tests to you."  
  
"Tests to me? Am I sick?"  
  
"No, I want to do a scan of your body."  
  
They entered at the lab a few minutes later. "Please sit in that chair." Barbara pointed at a strange chair in the middle of the room.  
  
"Wow, you got some neat toys here Barbara." Helena joked as she sat in the chair.  
  
Barbara wheeled to the computer and pushed a button. A dome came down over Helena's head. The girl looked it surprised. Barbara put on Helena's chest and arms some cables. "It will not take more than 10 minutes."  
  
"Why do you call yourself Oracle?" Helena asked looking at the light covering her.  
  
"Well, one night I had a dream where I spoke to the wise Oracle who told me to become a hero once more, I made my self a 'on-line hero'. Many superheroes of the world come to me to handle the tasks too big for their own superpowers and I guess is a good name. Many of them don't know me, just my voice. And just a few people know of me and Clock Tower."  
  
"I guess you love being a crime fighter."  
  
"Yes. I don't work anymore with the suicide squad," Barbara tapped the information in a database "Now I free lance. It's more interesting and I'm most useful with personal computers and the Internet, it helped me as investigator and information broker."  
  
"I see. Hey Barbara may I go party next Friday?" Helena looked the green light moving around her.  
  
"Of course, just remember the rules." Barbara typed on her keyboard.  
  
"I know, come back on two feet and early."  
  
The dome was raised and Barbara pressed a button a strange machine down in front of her eyes. Helena moved her head back.  
  
"Don't worry Hel, just don't blink. I need a scan of your eyes." Barbara turned the lights off.  
  
"I feel like I am in a scary movie." Helena saw a red light in front of her eyes. The machine made a noise and was retired in front of her.  
  
"Okay young lady" Barbara wheeled to her and took off the cables and the dome "Just let me take a sample blood and you can go."  
  
"What did you do to me?" Helena looked the chair "I felt ticklish".  
  
"I'm looking if there's any biological evidence of the abilities you say you have, and to know which percent of your neural cells are active."  
  
"What?" Helena couldn't understand a word.  
  
Barbara wheeled to her with a syringe "Give me your arm." Helene obeyed "You are not completely human; it means that you have some extra abilities and it's called meta human. That don't means you are a freak. I hate that word. There are people in the world, a lot of people with abilities beyond what we think of as human. I want to see how much of these abilities you have. You don't know your own limitations, if you don't know your strength that would be dangerous for you and for the others."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Yes your father was human and your mother meta-human, I'll figure that you are not a complete meta, but I want t know how much." Barbara took the sample of blood and cleaned her arm with a cotton swab.  
  
"I hope that you don't try to dissect me." Helena took the cotton and bending her arm up.  
  
"Hey that is a good idea." Barbara returned to her computers. "I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"Now can we go?"  
  
"Yes, yes, let's go."  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara was kept awake very late while taking in the analysis of the girl. She started to check page by page. The results were amazing, she took off her glasses and many ideas came to her mind. The girl was very smart; her cerebral-cortex activity was over the 40 percent of her neural cells. But it seemed that she didn't like to show her intelligence, she used it only in her own interest.  
  
The blood sample showed her that it regenerated very fast, almost 70% over a normal human being. And her flexibility in bones gave her the abilities of a cat in human size, she could ran faster and jump high distances. She would be very fast and agile. She typed in some data and when the results appeared she took off her eyeglasses.  
  
"God, she could jump almost as high as a ten floor building" Barbara was amazed and searched immediately for her vision and hearing results. Her hearing was sensitive, but she couldn't listen to far off sounds. And she could see perfectly at night, her pupils worked exactly as the ones of a cat. She knew she could see in dark places but not so clear.  
  
Barbara took her chin with her hand yet surprised with the test results. She was sure that neither Selina knew that Helena would develop meta abilities at this level. She needed to do more tests on her on her taste and smell senses to know how developed they would be. 


	3. uh oh

Barbara checked some exams in her classroom but her mind wasn't there. She took off her glasses. She was thinking about how to help Helena to face her fears; she was sure the training would help her so much, to trust in herself, as it had helped her.  
  
"Barbara" Helena interrupted her thoughts; she smiled seeing her. "Are you going to stay?"  
  
Barbara looked her watch "Oh, it's late, lets go. Help me with this. How was your day?"  
  
Helena helped her to put some books in the shelves. "Great, the only bad point of day was Stuart Thomsen; you know, he thinks is the most beautiful man in earth. I want to like kick him sometimes."  
  
Barbara laughed closing her books "There's always a kid like that in all groups." Helena put her elbows in the desk where Bab's was and said to her in low voice "Hey Barbara you know Mr. Loeb, from fifth period English class."  
  
"Yes, why?" she continued preparing her things to leave.  
  
"Have you notice that he is something strange?"  
  
"Strange?"  
  
"Sometimes he acts as a woman."  
  
"Helena please!" Barbara rolled her eyes.  
  
"Everybody talks about that." Helena said.  
  
"Everybody includes you, let's go." Barbara wheeled to the door.  
  
"Me? Why me?"  
  
Barbara and Helena laughed walking to the parking lot. Helena felt danger, her eyes changed and she stop suddenly in the sidewalk, Barbara turned to see her; she noticed her cat eyes.  
  
"What happen?" Barbara asked; usually Helena's eyes only changed in the dark or when she was mad or scared; but not with out reason. "Better cover your eyes, are feral, this place is full of students."  
  
The girl took off her bag her sunglasses and put it while she looked around "I feel something strange, something wrong."  
  
Barbara looked around too, but there was many students walking in the parking lot and gardens. "What do you feel?"  
  
"I never felt something like this. is like danger."  
  
Barbara kept silence looking her; would be possible that she were developing a sixth sense; something common in animals as cats; and she had many skills of cats. "Let's go Hel, I will check you at home."  
  
They walked to the Hummer, while; at distance a man watched her behind a tree.  
  
* * *  
  
That weekend late, the elevator door opened, Helena stepped out and sat on the floor taking off her shoes. She stood up hesitantly and walked in trying to be silent. It was 4 o'clock in the morning and Barbara would be listening for her. She stumbled against a table and took it with her hands to prevent it from falling. "Shhhh!" she mumbled to the table and looked around afraid so she waited a few seconds. Luckily for her Barbara was still sleeping. It was an advantage to see in the dark. She righted the table, picked up her shoes, and crept to her room, opening the door slowly.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
Helena froze when the light turned on and she heard Barbara's voice behind her. *Damn* she thought to her self. "Wrong?" she said turning and trying to act like she was not drunk "No, why?"  
  
"Where have you been?" Barbara had her arms crossed in her chest, she knew that Helena had been to a big party and that she had drank to much; her feral eyes changed their size from small to big.  
  
"Oh. Just having fun, you know, talking." Helena explained trying to sound sober.  
  
"Oh I see. isn't it a little late?" the red head raised her brow.  
  
"Oh. yea, I know." Helena felt the floor moving down her feet, she struggled tying to kept the balance. "Sorry, when I watched my watch. I back inmediatll, inmeditly. inmed."  
  
"Im-me-dia-te-ly"  
  
"That, sorry," she fake a yawn "I'm very tired, I can't think" Helena felt suddenly her stomach asking for a bath, she closed her mouth. Barbara wasn't scolding her, she sure didn't realize that she was drunk, but she was wrong, Barbara had realized that she was in a bad condition and she looked at her with an evil grin. "So good that you are here, I need talk with you."  
  
"Must it be now?" Helena tried to control her self.  
  
"Yes, it is very important."  
  
"Okay" Helena swallowed, she began to sweat. Her stomach was screaming.  
  
"Come with me to the kitchen." Barbara smiled looking her expression.  
  
"Just let me go to the bath a few seconds." Helena said trying to sound normal.  
  
"Is Something wrong?"  
  
"Wrong? No, no. of course not" she answered moving her arms nervous.  
  
"You are sweating."  
  
"Yes, its too hot here." she took her blouse by the neck and pulled it, she felt sick. Her stomach was betraying her.  
  
"Come with me." Barbara wheeled back.  
  
"I need go to pee..." Helena tried to kept her composure. "Give me a minute."  
  
"Oh, it is just a minute Helena."  
  
"I need go to pee." the brunette bit her lip.  
  
"Are you drunk?" Barbara tilted her head.  
  
"Me? No." Helena said almost in a hurry grabbing her crotch to convince her mentor "I just need go to pee."  
  
"Why the hurry?"  
  
Helena put her hand to her mouth and ran to the bath. Barbara smiled and moved her head.  
  
Helena had empty all her stomach in the toilet after a few minutes. She had her arm resting in the toilet and her other hand grabbing her stomach.  
  
"Oh my." she mumbled.  
  
A hand extended a towel next to her. "Feel better?" asked Barbara.  
  
"Oh shit." Helena took the towel and rested her head over her arm. Barbara now knew.  
  
"Just not bad words." The red head said, she looked inside the toilet "That isn't pee. How much did you drink?"  
  
"Not much."  
  
"Not much? I saw two bottles there at least."  
  
Helena didn't answer, she grabbed her stomach and vomited again in the toilet.  
  
"Well, when you finish to pee, come to the kitchen I'll give you something to your stomach." Barbara wheeled outside the bathroom. "And take a bath, you smell awful, If I light on a match you will burn the room just with your breath."  
  
* * *  
  
A few minutes later Helena entered in the kitchen and sat in the table crossing her arms over and resting her head on it with her hair wet and a dressing gown. Barbara was in the stove and served in a dish a plate of soup. She went to the table and put it with a spoon nest to the girl. Helena raised slowly her head.  
  
"What is that?" she asked.  
  
"Shrimp and sea bass with tomatoes, a kind of soup, it will help you."  
  
"I don't want eat anything" she pushed the dish with her hand. "I hate fish."  
  
"Cat's love fish, you like fish."  
  
"Not tonight."  
  
"So. you aren't drunk.." Barbara smiling preparing a cup of coffee.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm drunk.." Helena raised her hand.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"A contest of tequila.."  
  
"How many shots?" Barbara wheeled to the table with her cup of coffee and a plate with cookies.  
  
"Not much.."  
  
"How many shots Helena?" Barbara ate a cookie.  
  
"Eighteen.."  
  
"Eighteen?" Barbara spat the cookie "Are you nuts?"  
  
"It was a contest." Helena smirked "I won."  
  
"I guess, you don't let any tequila to the others. eat that, you will feel better." Barbara pointed the soup and cleaned her mouth and the table with a napkin.  
  
"Are you sure?" Helena looked the soup with her eyes half-closed. She took the soup slowly, not convinced.  
  
"We talked about parties." Barbara said.  
  
"You said: 'come back on two feet and early.' I came back in my two feet and it's four AM, it's early."  
  
"Was it a big party?" Barbara sighed, she knew that the worst punishment to Helena wasn't scolding her, was feeling sick. The kid was a difficult person and be anger with her didn't work, and less if she was drunk.  
  
"A reunion in a bar."  
  
"Who was your challengers?"  
  
"Gibson and Jonathan. Gibson fell in shot number twelve and Jonathan in the seventeen."  
  
"Gibson always loses, why does he insist?."  
  
"He have the hope that maybe one day he would win me." Helena couldn't deny that her stomach felt a little better with the soup. She rested her back in the chair. "All was okay, the problem was Jonathan, he resisted so much."  
  
Barbara crossed her arms on the table and looked her. "Helena you have special abilities and you have talent."  
  
"Be a great drinker is marvelous?"  
  
"I'll like to train you." Barbara said.  
  
"Train me?" Helena glared to her, "train me for what?"  
  
"To manage your powers, to be a hero."  
  
Helena laughed loudly "You are drunk too!"  
  
"I'm serious. Your abilities are amazing Helena, neither you know it! I'm sure you have abilities that you haven't discover yet."  
  
Helena looked at her in silence, she fixed her eyes in hers and rolled her eyes. "Oh my. you are talking serious."  
  
"Yes, I'm talking serious. You are fast and agile, you have the strength"  
  
"Wait a minute wait a minute" Helena moved her head and her hands. "I'm drunk, I'm feel sick, it isn't fair you are taking advantage of me."  
  
"You have great powers but you don't know how control your character and don't know how to manage all your strength, you will be dangerous."  
  
"Uhh.?" the brunette raised her brow.  
  
"Or are you going to tell me that every time you are mad you avoid taking advantage of your meta-abilities? The training is not just to teach you to defend your self or fight is to teach you to control your mind and your powers to teach you to be consciousness of your own power and to now your limitations. "  
  
Helena sighed she knew about what Barbara was talking about. She often lost the control and was in trouble. Some time she had hit so hard a guy in a bar that annoyed her. And in the school the things weren't well, she had turned aggressive and not very friendly.  
  
"Do you know how high you can jump?" Barbara asked.  
  
"Does that matter?" Helena smiled with irony.  
  
"Yes. If you don't know your limits you will kill some one or will kill your self."  
  
"You are taking this too serious."  
  
"I am just asking you to think about it. I can teach you, you will be a great crime fighter."  
  
"As my father no? Forget it." Helena cleaned her mouth and stood up from the table, all moved around and she took the back of the chair to kept her balance.  
  
"Helena. Just think about it." Barbara said.  
  
"I don't want be like him"  
  
"You are not going to be like him, you have your own personality."  
  
"Barbara. I'm drunk, you are right, punish me but don't ask me that." Helena moved her head.  
  
"Okay," Barbara raised her brows "two months no party's no exits the weekends, I want to see you here at 8 PM and you will work those 2 months as a volunteer in the School library."  
  
"That is unfair!" Helena protested.  
  
"You have 17." Barbara said.  
  
"18 in ten months." Helena gave her a funny face.  
  
"Ha, ha, anyway. It's illegal that you drink. Take it or." Barbara took a sip of her coffee.  
  
"Are you blackmailing me???"  
  
"Take it as you wish.. Think about training or punishment.." Barbara smiled.  
  
"Okay. Okay. You win." Helena tried to exit of the kitchen but she stumbled against a chair and fell to the floor, Barbara cover her mouth to avoid laugh. Helena stood up immediately "I'm okay, I'm okay" Barbara followed her with her gaze smiling, she could be a great crime fighter, she know that, she could smell that, she just need a guide, orientation, and. she must do it, because her strong character and her anger would take her easily to be like her mother. Helena walked to her room bumping against the walls lightly. 


	4. More problems

The next monday Helena entered in the Principal's office and she saw him sat in his chair and in front of his desk, to Barbara; the redhead locked her eye in her. The girl took a deep breath and sat in front of her. The Principal played with a pen between his fingers.  
  
"Good morning miss Kyle, Want to say something to me?"  
  
Helena blushed and down her face. "No."  
  
"Want to say something to miss Gordon?"  
  
Helena looked Barbara afraid. Barbara raised one's eyebrowns.  
  
"Okay, so I'll give you an assessment of the damage miss Gordon. Miss Helena Kyle clogged the sinks and the students bathrooms flooded." Helena put an elbow over the desk and covered her face with her hand, she wanted kill the gossip of Stuart Thomsen "We had a little flood there, maybe you could saw the water running in the stairs miss Gordon."  
  
Barbara swallowed and nodded.  
  
"Maybe you would put a little most of attention in your girl before she will be in a very big trouble."  
  
"Yes Principal." Barbara said.  
  
"You are one of our best professors. I know is hard take care of a teen but if it was your choice I'm glad for that; but you need take more care of her. Is not a good image for you that your adopted child is a real mess in school."  
  
"She is a good student, she." Barbara explained to him.  
  
"I know is a good student" the Principal interrupted her "But it don't give her the right to do all those things."  
  
"Yes, true."  
  
"Miss Kyle, I'm not going to suspend you for Ms. Barbara; but you need do a extra job for a week in the library." He wrote a message in a paper and gave it to her "Give it to the manager of it. I don't want see this young lady again here in a very long time. That's all you can go. Ms. Barbara I need talk with you alone."  
  
Helena looked Barbara worried and tried to say something but she didn't find he words. The face of sadness on Barbara made her feel so guilty.  
  
"Its okay Helena, go," Barbara whispered.  
  
Helena went out but she didn't go; she sat in the chair outside the Principal's office waiting for Barbara nervous. She had expected that the Principal scolded her, but he had scolded Barbara and sure he was yet doing that to her.  
  
She was the one that deserved the telling off, not Barbara, she had been always trying to help and guide her. She had failed to her mentor once again. She waited almost an hour; finally the red head went off his office. She stood up waiting a scold but Barbara just patted her arm and wheeled outside. She knew Barbara was very disappointed.  
  
"Barbara." She mumbled following her.  
  
"It's okay Hel," Barbara stopped and said to her in sweet voice "don't worry; just don't clogged the sinks. Go to your classes, okay?"  
  
"But."  
  
Barbara wheeled to her classroom. Helena felt like garbage, it was all her fault and the only one hurt had been Barbara. She watched her go, and later walked to her classroom.  
  
* * *  
  
Gibson and Helena sat at the gardens in High school eating their lunch under a tree. Gibson had noticed that his friend's mood was much better; she smiled and made jokes now. But today she seemed to be sad after the visit to the Principal's office.  
  
"Are you happy now?" He asked her.  
  
"Well, I'm okay, Barbara is a good person; she takes care of me and always asks me how am I, if I need something she helped me and at the same time she gave me my own space." Helena picked up her peanut butter sandwich.  
  
"She wasn't mad when you arrived drunk at your home?" Gibson lied over the grass.  
  
"She was really pissed, but she didn't show it to me."  
  
"How do you know she was pissed?"  
  
"Her look, I know her look when she is mad with me." Helena bit into her sandwich "And when I saw that look I'll started to worry."  
  
"She punished you when you make her feel mad?"  
  
"No, something worst. When she is really mad she just tells me what she didn't like, and later she kept silence all day; its like a thumb; that put me really nervous. She makes me felt guilty."  
  
"And that is unfair?"  
  
"No, that's the worse, she is right; and that makes me feel worse; but I couldn't admit it in front of her that she is right."  
  
"Why not?" Gibson scratched his head.  
  
"Gibson!!!" Helena hit him.  
  
"Oh, yea, I know, proud thing. And what happened today at Principal's office, you didn't tell me yet." Gibson sat and opened his lunch box.  
  
"Stuart is a coward, as soon as the Principal entered the classroom he said my name and nobody asked him. We are almost 1,300 students anybody could be. And he opened his big mouth. The Principal called me today in the morning and called Barbara too." Helena took a sip of her coke.  
  
"She lectured you?"  
  
"No, he lectured her. He just gave me social work, a week in the library. I felt so bad; I waited for Barbara outside until she came out. I was waiting for her to lecture me. She just smiled and told me, 'It's okay Hel, don't worry; just don't clog the sinks again. Go to your classes, okay?' I could see in her face that she was so sad, and now I feel like very big garbage."  
  
"Bad week ah?"  
  
"Awful, I took the Hummer with out permission on Saturday and I hit the wheel on the sidewalk; I broke it. I was waiting a big lecture and she just told me: 'If you think your own choices is because you know what are you doing and you are assuming the responsibility of your actions, okay, now is your responsibility the repairs.' I would prefer her shouting me or something like that, but she never raises her voice. That was all and she was happy the rest of the day."  
  
"Happy?"  
  
"I didn't understand either until I realized that she annoyed me. I needed to pay; it cost me so much that Barbara reduce my monthly allowance by 4 months. I couldn't go out now. I only have money for a few things." Helena exclaimed.  
  
"Oh.!" Gibson laughed.  
  
"I never imagined a Hummer wheel was so expensive! Of course I never would touch that car again. She is intelligent, if she shouted at me I am sure will do it again, but with that. she put me against the floor today; I'm feel bad for her, I'm always in troubles. She gives her best effort and I only gave her disappointments"  
  
"What happened when she saw you drunk?"  
  
"Well, here she took revenge" Helena took out her next sandwich "she didn't say a word but every time I saw her I almost could listen her telling me: 'I told you, now hold on'" Helena imitated her voice. "And later she blackmailed me."  
  
"She what?"  
  
"She wanted me to I train, and of course I didn't want to." Helena explained lying back in the grass too "She used that mistake to jump over me. I don't know how she always do that I do the things that she want. Is the only one that had could do that. I hate that because she closed me all the roads and at the end I choose exactly what she wants."  
  
"Training for what?" Gibson asked curious. Was the first time in long time that some one could win Helena and control her rebellious actions.  
  
"She knows I'm Meta, and she tells that I have many skills and she wants develop it to make me a hero." Helena looked him; Gibson was her confidant and he knew all about her, her story and Barbara.  
  
"You a hero? That was good!" Gibson laughed Helena glared to him. "Okay, I'm sorry."  
  
"I didn't want be a hero! I'm not sure I want be as him!" Helena lowered her head.  
  
"Why not? Your father was a marvelous Hero."  
  
"For me he just is a 'him' okay?"  
  
"You would be a great hero. I can be your partner."  
  
Helena laughed "Don't be foolish." The ring bell turned on and the boys picked up their things and walked inside the building running. * * * Barbara wheeled inside the Delphi's. She was still upset with the problem of Helena at school; but she knew she must be intelligent to manage it and to control the girl; Helena used to contradict rules. Alfred looked her and he greeted her. He stood up to her side while she typed in the keyboard.  
  
"Good day miss Barbara?"  
  
"The correct word would be awful."  
  
"What she did today?"  
  
"She clogged the sinks in the bathrooms. Big flood in the stairways. I had a long meeting at Principal's office about how took care of a rebellious teen." Barbara sighed and gave him a paper.  
  
"What is this?" Alfred took the paper.  
  
We need to pay the repairmen and the plumbers. Give it to my accountant please, I need to give a check to the school."  
  
"Are you going to punish her?"  
  
"I don't think so, if I gave her a lecture it would go in her right ear and out her left, she is so stubborn. Now she feels bad because the Principal yelled at me and not her; maybe that would make her think her about her behavior." Barbara turned her wheelchair to him "She is a good girl, but she loves prove she is most smart and that she could break the rules with out a problem; I think she is trying to prove to her self she don't need anyone and that she could survive alone. But, she didn't realize it. And in her way she took me with her in her problems." Barbara suddenly began to laugh and Alfred looked her surprised.  
  
"Do you feel okay Miss Barbara?"  
  
"Yes Alfred just. that Helena is so clever and witty; sometimes I did a really big effort to not laugh with her wicked things. Tell me who could have in mind clogged the sinks of the bathrooms? Just her."  
  
"The Hummer wasn't funny." Alfred said "You were really mad."  
  
"Well Alfred yes, but you couldn't deny was fun find her trying to repair the tire heating up a knife with Gibson in the parking lot." Barbara laughed again and Alfred smiled too.  
  
"Well, yes, was funny, you are right."  
  
"She looked for me after classes to talk with me about the "spiked" thing. I told her that we can eat dinner and talk about that so. I need go to a parent-teacher conference and later I'll go to catch her in a restaurant in the Center Town. If you want, you can leave early." Barbara watched her clock "I need take a bath and later I'll go." 


	5. A killer in the night

A killer in the night  
  
Barbara stayed after school for a parent-teacher conference. She was late. Helena would be worried now; she never was late. It was dark; the parking lot was almost empty. She heard a noise behind her; she turned around but all seemed quiet. She continued wheeling to the Hummer and looked in her bag to search for her keys. She stopped just before the door.  
  
She heard the noise again and when she raised her head, she saw a big shadow over her. A hand covered her mouth and the shadow raised a knife. She knocked it away with a fast movement surprising him and she twisted his hand, the man took her by the neck and she grabbed his wrists; both fell to the floor. Barbara hit him in the head and he rolled dazed on the floor. Barbara dragged trying to take her escrima sticks in her bag, but the man got on top of her too fast. He held her hands and raised the knife.  
  
Helena stumbled across them. She rolled with the man and he stood up showing her his long knife. Her mind went back to the night where her mother was murdered; she saw again the man grabbing the blade with blood in front of her. Helena's eyes looked hypnotized the blade shining at the night.  
  
The man tried to stab her but she avoided it and broke his nose with a blow. He fell backwards. Barbara saw the girl fight, was amazing, Helena was faster and really moved as a wild cat; she didn't have control of her own strength; but she was worried, he could hurt the girl because she was fighting without precautions.  
  
Helena was blinded by rage, she all she could see was her mother; she didn't listen, she was focus only on finishing the man. The image of her mother lying bleeding over the ground was in front of her. She took him by the neck and smashed him against the floor. "You are dead!" she said squeezing his neck.  
  
"Helena no!" Barbara sat on the floor looking her.  
  
"Never touch my mother again" Helena snarled, flashing her feral eyes.  
  
"Helena stop!" Barbara screamed, knowing that Helena's mind was in another place and she could kill him, but all Helena could see was her mother bleeding and she trying to finish the one that had hurt her. "Did you listen to me? Stop!"  
  
The man hit her in the stomach, she released him and he tried to run, but Helena jumped an amazing distance and fell in front of him hitting and kicking him. The man barely could defend himself, he fell to the floor and Helena continued beating him without control. "You hurt my mother! I'll kill you!" she shouted, the girl just could think of that man had stabbed her mother.  
  
"Helena wake up!" Barbara shouted "You will kill him!"  
  
The man held Helena's feet and made her fall. He was angry and fell over her. They rolled over the ground. She felt a blow on her thigh and she kicked him off. He fell backwards and ran, she stood up and ran to follow him. Barbara thought fast and she shouted her again loudly: "Helena help me!"  
  
The word "help" worked. Helena stopped and hesitated a second.  
  
"Helena help me!" Barbara shouted.  
  
The girl blinked and turned to see her lying on the floor. "Barbara" she mumbled. She felt as awakening of a dream. She shook her head.  
  
"Are you okay?" Barbara asked.  
  
"Yes. I'm okay" she looked back and the man had disappeared "And you?" she walked to her. In the middle of the way she felt a stab of pain in her leg. She took her hand to her leg and felt warm. He had stabbed her and in her anger she didn't feel the wound until that moment.  
  
"What happen? Are you okay?" Barbara looked her worried.  
  
"Ouch. He hurt me." Helena's leg throbbed and she covered the wound with her hands.  
  
"He hurt you?" Barbara felt her hart beating fast "Come here, let me check you."  
  
Helena walked to Barbara slowly and limping.  
  
"Let me see it. " Barbara examined her thigh.  
  
"I didn't realize that he hurt me. Owww."  
  
"Doesn't seem to be deep. He just scratched you."  
  
"Hurts me."  
  
"I know. Don't worry you will be okay. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Was too late, you always are on time and you worry me, I came to see if something was wrong." Helena lifted the wheel chair.  
  
"Easy, everything is fine." Barbara lifted her self up the chair. "Hel, you put your life at risk; it's not the same girls in orphanage that beat a criminal; you must be careful."  
  
"He was hurting you." Helena said in low voice.  
  
"I know" she caressed her cheek "Thanks so much. Now we need go, come on."  
  
"Are we going to a hospital?"  
  
"No, to Clock Tower, I could heal you there."  
  
"You?"  
  
"I have experience in this Helena, don't worry. All heroes must learn some medicine and surgery, is useful. I can't take you to the Hospital, the doctors sure would test your blood and if they discover that is different will ask questions."  
  
The girl picked up the wheel chair and helped Barbara to sit there. She was grateful that Barbara were so strong and almost could lift her own weight alone. She picked up the books and bag of Barbara from the floor and opened the back door of the Hummer to put them in. Helena's eyes changed suddenly and she turned. A big man with a large body was in front of her. She looked him surprised. "This party still don't is over." He said taking her by her sweater and smashing her back against the back door.  
  
Barbara had opening the front door when she listened the cry of Helena. She saw her flying and falling heavily over the ground; she couldn't see what had beat the girl, an instant later she saw a figure appeared by the back of the Hummer that walked toward the girl on the floor.  
  
"Run Helena!" Barbara screamed when she recognized Killer Croc.  
  
Killer Crook stood up in front of her. "Stupid girl; after I kill you I'll finish the job that my stupid man couldn't do, kill Barbara Gordon. Say goodbye."  
  
"Good bye" Helena said kicking him in the face. Killer Croc tried to hit the girl but she ducked to avoid the blow and hit him again making him step back. He attacked her again and she avoided his blows. Barbara looked worried she fighting, she didn't have the experience, was hurt and didn't have the enough training to face a killer as Killer Croc was; but she couldn't deny she was fighting very well.  
  
"You are a damn kid!" He took by the sweater and raised her.  
  
"And you an ugly alligator!" she shouted kicking him in the chin with her leg. He released her and Helena fell on her feet, he noticed her limping and the blood spot on her pant. He moved faster and kicked her harder in her tight. Helena groaned and fell on her knees. He took her thigh with his hand and pressed hard, Helena cried in pain and grabbed his hands trying that he released her.  
  
"Your time is over!" he shouted and put a hand over her throat and with the other he continued squeezing harder. Helena could hit him with her knee in his crotch and he screamed releasing her. She rolled and tried to stand up unsuccessfully, her leg hurt her so much. She just could dragged to try to go far away. Suddenly he caught the ankle of her hurt leg stopping her.  
  
"Let me go!" she shouted.  
  
"You are dead now!" He turned her on her back violently hitting her head hit harder against the ground. Helena took her hands to her head, that had hurt.  
  
"Stupid girl!" he laughed squeezing her neck.  
  
A hard blow on his head made him release the girl. He turned and just could fell a rain of blows over him. Barbara had grabbed her escrima sticks and was over him. He tried to attack her but Barbara moved very well her hands using the sticks. She felt mad, mad as she had ever felt seeing him hurt the kid. Until that moment she realized that it didn't matter how difficult the last must had been, she cared for her so much.  
  
He tried to blow her but she blocked his fit using both sticks. She smashed a stick on his stomach and another on her knees, he bend down. Barbara attacked him faster, didn't give him opportunity to recover; he fell to the floor. He rolled and was going to attack again when he saw people running to them.  
  
"I'll see you later bitch" He said to Barbara and ran to the forest.  
  
Barbara wheeled immediately to Helena. "Helena, are you okay?"  
  
"My leg..." she mumbled.  
  
Some school guardians arrived running. "Something happened?" one of them asked, "we saw a fight"  
  
"It's okay, a man tried to assault us." Barbara explained.  
  
"The girl is okay?" One police said.  
  
"She was stabbed in her leg. I just need take her to the hospital. Help me to take her to my car."  
  
"We should call the police."  
  
Barbara gave them a card with a phone number "Call my father, he can send some men to investigate. I'll call him and explain everything, but first I need your help with Helena."  
  
The men helped her to take the kid to the Hummer.  
  
* * * 


	6. Training days

Barbara continued searching for any trace of Killer Croc, if he tried to kill her once, it was sure he would try again; on the other hand she felt happy, Helena still loved High School and continued being the 'uber-stylish former captain of the pep squad, and girl voted "most likely to inspire envy". It was difficult trying to manage her; Barbara needed to look for different ways to attract her attention; Helena wasn't convinced yet of the training, and the most difficult part was to trying to teach her discipline.  
  
The girl was a little sceptic, Barbara had been Batgirl but she wasn't sure she could train her if she was in a. chair. But well, she thought, If she wanted to try, that is the least that she could do for her, Barbara had take care of her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Helena, I said wake up!" Barbara shouted entering in her room.  
  
"Uh?" Helena felt Barbara ripping off her blankets, the daylight annoyed her and she covered her eyes "What is happening?" she asked trying to sit up but a strong headache made her sit back down. "Ouch!"  
  
"It's late, we need start early." Barbara said "Come on wake up."  
  
"Start for what?" Helena could barely open her eyes to see Barbara. She had been at party until 3 AM.  
  
"Your training. Come on."  
  
"Hey are you." she moved her hand to her night table looking at the clock "Barbara it's eight o'clock in the morning!" she protested.  
  
"Yea, too late, we should have been out since seven o'clock. Come on, I'll wait for you downstairs, you got 10 mins."  
  
"My head hurts."  
  
"First rule: You can do anything you wish, if you want to come back here at 5 AM no problem, but you must wake up at 8 AM. Discipline, you need to learn discipline. I've left some aspirins on your night table, take them and hurry up."  
  
Barbara was in the garage of the Clock Tower in the Hummer. Helena appeared in the elevator and tried to step in to the car.  
  
"Out..." Barbara said.  
  
"Out? Why?"  
  
"You have to first run fifteen miles."  
  
"Fifteen miles? But." Helena opened her eyes.  
  
"I'll see you in New Gotham Park. I'm sure you can be there before me, now out." Helena grumbled and opened the door. She slammed it closed.  
  
"I can't believe that a hangover would stop you." Barbara moved her head.  
  
"If I arrive before you, the training days at 7 A.M. will end?"  
  
"Hey, we haven't start yet. Are trying to give me conditions?"  
  
"Give me some motivation."  
  
"You have one, if you do not arrive before me, tomorrow we start at six o'clock." Barbara smiled and turning on the Hummer, she left the garage. Helena rolled her eyes and started to run after her.  
  
When they returned, they went to the training room, Helena put her gloves in her hands. Barbara wheeled in, she wheeled to the shelves and picked up two sticks. She turned and threw one to Helena surprising her, she looked at the stick.  
  
"What is this?" the brunette asked.  
  
"Attack me" Barbara said wheeling in front her.  
  
Helena laughed "No way. of course not." Before she could say another word Barbara raised her stick and tried to hit her, Helena stepped back and instinctively stopped the blow with the stick that she had in her hand. Barbara attacked her again like a hurricane. Helena fell to the floor surprised.  
  
"Stand up, again." Barbara wheeled back "Focus Helena."  
  
".What was that?" Helena picked up the stick and stood up.  
  
"Hold the stick with both hands," Barbara said "never minimize your opponent, got it? Now, attack me."  
  
Helena was afraid to hurt her and she threw a blow without strength, Barbara hit her stick bending her hand and immediately she hit her in the ribs, Helena fell down. "I said attack me!" Barbara shouted.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Helena yelled.  
  
"This isn't a game, stand up!"  
  
Helena stood up and glared at her taking the stick. "I don't want hurt you"  
  
"You couldn't hurt me."  
  
"Of course I can.." Helena said sarcastically.  
  
"You don't have the ability neither the capability to do it." Barbara sighed.  
  
"What?" Helena was beginning to lose her patient.  
  
"You don't focus, you don't know how to hold that stick, you don't know how to fight, how to think, how to move. Maybe you can walk but that doesn't mean that you will beat me."  
  
"Come on, don't joke with me!"  
  
"Try, I want to see you beat me." Barbara smiled.  
  
"Barbara I almost killed a guy in a bar," Helena raised her hands "I knocked two stupid boys last week, I'm meta, I'm faster, are you nuts?"  
  
"No, I want to show you that even with all the advantages on your side you can loose if you don't know your body, your mind and your capabilities. Don't let the damn chair fool you, I can assure you that you will need more than of year worth of training to beat me."  
  
"Barbara."  
  
"I'll take it easy on you, if you can knock the stick out my hands, we finish the training for today. Just as soon as you knock this stick out, you can go."  
  
Helena moved, her face smiling "Is it a deal?"  
  
"Deal." Barbara raised her stick preparing her defence.  
  
"Got it."  
  
* * *  
  
One hour later Helena let her self fall to the floor of the training room. "I surrender." She mumbled tired and sweating; she threw the stick to her side.  
  
"So. what happened?" Barbara wheeled next to her.  
  
". I can't. You win, let me breath." She rolled back.  
  
"I hope that you've begun to look at me in a different light. You have 5 minutes; we need start with the punching bag."  
  
"Barbara, I'm tired."  
  
"Good, that means that you don't know how canalize your strength to avoid feeling tired so fast., I can add that point to your training." Barbara wheeled outside. Helena rolled her eyes asking to herself why she had opened her mouth.  
  
* * *  
  
The young girl began to take pleasure in the trainings, a bit because of her pride, and a bit because she liked to fight. The wheelchair wasn't a matter after the first day to Helena; she didn't care about that, she really needed to focus on Barbara's movements; her mentor was incredibly agile and fast. Alfred smiled, looking at the girl improving every day in the training room. She really was so good; Barbara was doing a great job wth her.  
  
One afternoon, Alfred entered in the gym with a tray in his hands. Helena leaved the place as a hurricane. She almost pushed Alfred. "Something wrong?" the old man asked.  
  
"No, Barbara let me go early." Helena said running to her room "bye!"  
  
Alfred walked in, Barbara was smiling cleaning her face with a white towel.  
  
"She is really good." Barbara said.  
  
"As good as.", Alfred asked.  
  
"No, not yet. she needs work so much, it's hard try to train her, she lose her control easily and that loses her, she couldn't focus, today was perfect, but other days.", Barbara moved her head her anger blinded her, in the streets that is a suicide." Barbara took a glass of water that Alfred gave her.  
  
"Is it serious? Is she going to patrol?" Alfred was curious.  
  
"Not now it's too soon, maybe in a year. She has that sensibility that any hero needs, but she needs to learn so much yet."  
  
"She had been happy the last months, the training changed her bad mood."  
  
"Yeah, this is new for her, and she is exited discovering her self. But."  
  
"But?" Alfred looked at her with curiosity.  
  
"She hates the rules and it's hard do that she understands that she need follow the law." The red head explained almost frustrated.  
  
"Why are you training her miss Barbara? Because she had the potential or because you are afraid that she goes to the bad side?"  
  
Barbara kept silence a few seconds before answer. "She has the potential. But I'm afraid that the story starts again. Selina was orphan, her mother was suicidal and his father an alcoholic. Selina Kyle spent time in a state home for girls before escaping an abusive headmistress to live in Gotham City. Vowing never to go hungry or wanting again, she used her natural acrobatic skills and keen wits to become the most accomplished thief Gotham has ever known."  
  
"Catwoman got her name not only because of her profession, also to her cat- like qualities. Cunning, stealthy, and mysterious; Helena had it and more. Selina was neither super-hero nor arch-villain. Catwoman can stand her ground in a fight with any man, including Batman, and was sometimes the sex kitten and sometimes the steely avenger, but most of the time just a thief, trying to avoid the spotlight and innocent bystanders."  
  
Barbara bit her lip "Unlike most of Batman's foes, Catwoman was not out for mass destruction or world domination. She wasn't in it for the money. She had even been known to do the occasional good deed. When she was surrounded by bad, she was good. When surrounded by good, she was bad. When surrounded by Batman, oh! Catwoman and Batman have developed a grudging respect for each other over the years, and even more. Catwoman had a streak of good in her she can't suppress, no matter how hard she tried."  
  
"Worry me that Helena keeps in mind yet the idea to find some day her mother's assassin and kill him. I'm afraid of her anger. The anger don't let think, the anger take you to do things that maybe tomorrow you will feel sorrow, the anger blind and you will commit dangerous or mortal mistakes."  
  
"You need take your time miss Barbara." Alfred said. "Be patient."  
  
"Yes right, we can't know the future."  
  
"How is going your new wheel chair?" Alfred asked trying to distract her.  
  
"Oh I'll finished next week, it's incredible. Better than the Hummer." Barbara said with great emotion. "You will see it soon."  
  
"I hope it."  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you telling me that I can jump a building of ten floors? That is nuts!" Helena and Barbara were discussing in the training room.  
  
"No, according to my calculations you can do it and more, your bones are very flexible. But you need training or you could break a leg. You are like a big cat." Barbara put in her hands gloves  
  
Helena laughed, "My mom called me kitty because I always was hanging or jumping in a high place but this is crazy."  
  
"Look your tests" Barbara gave her some papers.  
  
Helena looked it a few seconds and gave it back to Barbara. "I don't understand a word."  
  
Barbara rolled her eyes "Have you noticed that you can see as well with the lights off as if it were on? Well, hellooo! The people couldn't see with the lights off."  
  
"I know that!" Helena smiled knowing Barbara was joking with her.  
  
"You need to know your own limitations or some day you will kill your self or someone." Barbara moved her new electrich chair to the gym.  
  
"That thing is amazing." Helena followed her.  
  
"Gives me better movement. Don't be in troubles or I will catch you now."  
  
"You need install it a turbo first."  
  
"I'm on it, don't worry." Barbara looked her.  
  
"Okay, what's next?"  
  
"Gymnastics." Barbara went to the rings that she had installed in the middle of the room.  
  
"Gymnastics?" Helena puckered her frown and followed her.  
  
"Gymnastics. You need learn to keep balance and to use your hands. Is very useful have a perfect harmony in your body. Help me with the rings." Helena lifted Barbara and she grabbed the rings with her hands "watch it." Helena stepped back.  
  
Barbara make several exercises using just her arms; Helena felt really surprised. She could see her muscles tensing in all her upper body. She finished the routine and Helena helped her to back to her chair.  
  
"That was incredible." Helena said.  
  
"Do it." Barbara cleaned her sweat with a white towel.  
  
"Looks easy."  
  
"Do it."  
  
"Okay."  
  
* * *  
  
Alfred walked to Helena's room, he knocked the door and could hear a weakly "Come in" He opened the door; the girl was covered with her blankets with the lights off. He turned the lights on and looked his watch, was seven o'clock at night, too early for her. Helena felt like her body was broke.  
  
"Do you feel okay?" Alfred smiled and walked toward her.  
  
"I'm dead, don't disturb the dead Alfred." She mumbled.  
  
"Is something wrong Miss Helena?" He asked putting an ointment in the night table and raising his sleeves  
  
"Barbara wants to kill me. We did gymnastics today; I thought was easy but I couldn't be hang most of five seconds in that rings lifting my weight. She gave me a routine of exercises to my arms, and now hurts as hell."  
  
"Yes I know, she sent me here" Alfred opened the bottle and took a bit of ointment "Please, turn around and give me your right arm please."  
  
"What?" Helena turned back and looked him with her eyes half-opened "That smell like Vick's Vapor Rub"  
  
"This would help you to feel better, this is a pain relieving ointment for sore muscles and overexertion. Is a great relief for pain, penetrates quickly and provides effective temporary relief."  
  
Helena barely could mover her arm out the blankets. Alfred helped her and started to massage her arm.  
  
"She could raise her own weight with her hands is amazing! How Barbara could do all that exercise and be so well? I'm dying." Helena mumbled.  
  
"Training Miss Helena, but you only felt pain the first two weeks, after that your body began to be accustomed."  
  
"Two weeks" Helena closed her eyes. "Oh God!"  
  
"You have the strength, you just need learn how to manage and improve it." Alfred moved his fingers as an expert, the girl felt a great relief under his hands "I'm sure that if Miss Barbara knew that with training you will be at bed at seven o'clock at night, she would have started with it last year."  
  
"I'm out of action, not jokes Alfred."  
  
"As you said Miss Helena."  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara had finished some repairs in her new electric wheel chair and was testing it in the gym with Alfred. Helena heard the noise and entered. Barbara smiled when she saw her and turned around by herself.  
  
"What do you think?" Barbara asked her.  
  
"That is wonderful!" Helena exclaimed.  
  
"She is a genius" Alfred said.  
  
"Hey, don't say that"  
  
"It's the truth"  
  
"Maybe you can invent something for me." Helena walked in.  
  
"Forget it." Barbara moved her head, she knew about what was Helena talking.  
  
"I don't ask yet" Helena protested.  
  
"I know what have you in mind, so forget it." Barbara raised her brow. "That is cheat!"  
  
"I don't want it for me, I want rent it and earn some money. And yours is so cool."  
  
"Are you crazy? Do you want a micro mic device to give and ask the answers in the exams to rent it? Earn money in a correct way. Wash cars." Barbara went back to her job in the control panel.  
  
"May I wash the Hummer?"  
  
Alfred laughed lightly, the girl was very insistent. Barbara sighed "What do you want Helena? Why don't just go to the point?"  
  
"I want work to earn money." The brunette explained.  
  
"And why do you want earn money?" Barbara asked curious.  
  
"I don't like that you pay for everything." Helena said.  
  
"I will like that you finish High School First." Barbara moved some buttons in the control panel of the chair and moved back "You not need earn money now, you have all."  
  
"But I feel useless, you work all day and night." Helena followed her.  
  
"No, you are not useless. All in the life have steps. You are now in the step where your obligation is study, not work. I'm in the step of my life where I work because I like it, in the shool because I love it and in the night at Delphi's because I love be a crime fighter, is part of my life. When you finish your school you could work, I promise it."  
  
"It's too much time. May I get a job?"  
  
"Are you bored?" Barbara asked moving forward. Helena jumped back to avoid that the chair passed over her feet.  
  
"No, I'm trying to feel me useless. Some of my friends work." The girl said.  
  
Barbara felt surrender. She looked her "What do you have on mind?"  
  
"I dunno, I can look for some part-time job." Helena said.  
  
Barbara scratched her head. Maybe that would be good to help her to feel most secure about her self.  
  
"Barbara while I find a job could you give me some money? I promise pay it back with my first salary."  
  
"The mystery was solved" Alfred said " she want buy something."  
  
"Don't help me" Helena glared to him.  
  
"I knew you have something in mind!" Barbara moved her head "What are you going to buy."  
  
"Hey, I don't ask you what things buy with the money that the school gives you. I worked so har to earn this money!"  
  
"You still don't have a job."  
  
"But I will have one soon."  
  
"Okay, okay..." Barbara couldn't avoid laugh "I want that you finish your High school first, and in summer you can look for a job; you can pay me back until now, okay? How much do you need?"  
  
A few minutes later Helena ran to the exit with the money that Barbara gave to her. Alfred held her hands in his back and looked the door as Barbara.  
  
"She is obstinate."  
  
"Stubborn." Barbara corrected. She bit her lip looking him "Alfred did you know that Helena follow me?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"She follows me; she thinks I don't see her but I know is always behind me. She hide near the place where I'm and just watch; would be a tree, a window, I dunno. she is too silent hard to find when she hides, but I learn to catch her."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, specially at nights when I stay working late at school."  
  
"Why do you think is she doing it?"  
  
"I think that she is 'protecting' me. She is afraid that the killer will attack me again and she follow me to be sure that I'm okay. Is a cute way to know that she is worry about me but. it cant be. I'm not accustomed to have a baby sitter and she couldn't be all her life following me. I have my life and she has her life. And is a risk for her to be alone at night following me."  
  
"Did you talk with her?" Alfred asked.  
  
"No, not yet, but I think that I can do it later, when we train." Barbara moved her chair back; Barbara felt really happy with her new invention. "I can't let that her fears control her. After her mother died I'm fighting against that."  
  
"You are doing a wonderful job."  
  
"Yes? Remember me that the next time that the Principal call me to his office. Tomorrow we start practicing with her jumps. Until now, I know she could jump almost 3 floors, but I'm sure she could do more." 


	7. Jump, jump, jump

One Sunday, Barbara took Helena to a forest to train. She gave her a walkie talkie and ordered her to run around the hill where they were. The land was irregular, which provided a good work-out for Helena. The kid finished almost an hour later. She stopped her chronometer and smiled; it had been a good time. She looked around for Barbara but she wasn't there.  
  
she heard Barbara's voice on her radio. Helena took it and pressed the button looking for her "Where are you?"  
  
Helena raised her head; Barbara was on the top of the rock; she was amazing, she had climbed up just by using her arms. "Wow!" she said "You've been busy."  
  
"Barbara. it's higher." Helena looked up.  
  
"Barbara whenever we practise I feel like a rabbit"  
  
"I can jump five floors what's the matter with that?"  
  
"Okay, okay, is not necessary to remind me about that moment" Helena remembered the night she had fallen into a trash container when she tried jumping between two buildings.  
  
I Barbara said,  
  
"I still think it's nuts. How you could be so sure?"  
  
Helena sighed "My bones, what's with my bones?"  
  
Barbara answered.  
  
"How high is that Rock?"  
  
"Hey, you are being serious." She put the radio on her waist and jumped up. The first flag proved no problem and she continued trying. She could barely jump to the third flag.  
  
she heard Barbara's voice from the radio.  
  
"I'm still cold." The kid jumped down to try it again.  
  
A half hour later Helena felt tired. She fell next to the 5th flag and rested her back for a few seconds against the rock.  
  
Barbara asked on the radio.  
  
"I'm taking my time" Helena answered taking the radio off her waist.  
  
"Hey, you are not jumping as a nut, it's me. Give me a second. How can you climb this rock just with your hands?"  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
Helena mumbled and took the rope, she started to climb the rock. Barbara was sitting on the edge of the rock with a baseball hat and sunglasses watching the girl climb, she had a bottle of water in her right hand and in her left was the radio.  
  
"Hey, you are worst than a turtle." She put the radio near her mouth smiling. She could hear Helena panting. "Tomorrow we need to change your training, now your physical condition will be our primary objective." She took a drink of water and swallowed loud enough for Helena to hear.  
  
A few meters down Helena put her feet on a hole and stopped climbing to look up, she still needed to climb some meters up. She was sweating, the sun was up and she cleaned her forehead with her arm. She heard the redhead swallowing the water, *She is doing it on purpose* she thought to her self wetting her dry lips with her tongue and continued climbing.  
  
After a few minutes Barbara could hear a noise near her; she looked to her left and saw a hand with a globe grabbing the edge of the rock, later a second hand.  
  
"I thought you'd never do it." Barbara said.  
  
"This is not funny." Helena said.  
  
"It took to you almost 10 minutes to climb up here." Barbara could see at that moment that Helena was covered in sweat. Helena glared at her. Barbara seemed to be enjoying the moment.  
  
"Are you trying to kill me?" the kid asked putting her arms over the rock.  
  
"No, I'm trying test your limits and develop your skills." Barbara drank a bit more of water of her bottle. Helena licked her lips, watching her drink the water and climbed up. She rested her back on the grass tired. "Give a bit of water please."  
  
"In the Hummer."  
  
Helena moved her head and locked her eyes with Barbara's. "Why in the Hummer? You have a bottle."  
  
Barbara showed her the empty bottle. "It's finished, you took so much time to climb here and it's hot."  
  
"Barbara! This is not fair." Helena protested.  
  
Barbara moved next to the rope and took it with her hands. "I'm still thirsty, I'll wait for you at the bottom, but hurry or maybe you won't find any water left." Barbara moved down and before she started to descend she said to the kid "And don't use the rope to descend. Wait until I'm down and untie it."  
  
"And what do you expect I should do?"  
  
"Use your head. and your legs. Flex your knees when you land." Barbara said and disappeared, moving down. Helena rested her back on the grass again. She hated her every time she did things such as this. She stood up and looked down; Barbara was descending at an incredible speed. She was down in just a few minutes. She untied the rope and threw it down. Helena looked down, Barbara told her she could jump from on high, she wasn't sure of that, but at the same time she wanted a bit of water. Barbara never forced her to do something if she wasn't sure.  
  
"I hope you are right Barbara" Helena mumbled to her self and jumped down. Barbara was sitting on the grass busy coiling the rope when she looked up. Suddenly she saw Helena jump; it was amazing, she stopped coiling the rope and opened her mouth. Helena executed an elegant jump, but her landing was a disaster. She fell over some shrubs, many leaves flew about as she rolled over the grass, then she crashed against a bush. Barbara laughed.  
  
"What was that?" she asked.  
  
Helena had difficulty trying to stand up, but as soon as she got it right she start to jump "I did it! I did it!" she shouted with leaves in her hair and clothes scrambled.  
  
"Yes you did it. I told you." Barbara said, still laughing and continued to coil the rope.  
  
Helena stood next to her and looked up "Wow, that was a great jump!"  
  
"And a terrible landing." Barbara raised her brow.  
  
"Well I need to practice a bit more."  
  
"You need trust your self a bit more."  
  
"Can I do it again?" Helena asked enthusiastically.  
  
"I thought you were tired." Barbara joked.  
  
"Not too much, may I?" she looked her hopefully.  
  
"Of course but you need to climb again and the rope is here."  
  
"I can jump."  
  
"Ah, now you can jump. Okay, do it, just be careful with your landings. You need to keep your balance and when you fall to the floor flex your knees. No, let your body fall as if you were sitting down; extend your arms to keep your balance, okay? The balance it's in your arms."  
  
Helena nodded.  
  
"When you jump up use your legs as a spring and raise your body, shoulders back; look where you put our arms, if you moved them you can loose speed and height, use your arms as a plane, remember the aerodynamic theories I taught you? The human body isn't made to fly, so, you need to know how to position your body to improve your jumps and not block the air and stop your speed. You could find those little secrets by paying attention in your self every time you jump. Now go."  
  
Helena nodded again and jumped up. Barbara sat in her wheel chair and watched the girl, she enjoyed seeing Helena having fun and discovering her self. Barbara gave Helena instructions and observations between each jump. They spent almost the whole Sunday there, Barbara had prepared a picnic and they had lunch on the grass. It feeling of freedom that Helena liked so much; she had never felt so free and so proud about what and who she was. 


	8. Fears

The most difficult part of training was teaching Helena to control her temper. The physical part was easy, the emotional was harder. Helena was staring at Barbara in the training room  
  
"You want me to what?"  
  
Barbara rolled her eyes. "I want you to take the Escrima sticks and I will teach you how to use them. Your hand to hand combat is progressing nicely. I think it's time I show you some basic weapons."  
  
"All right. But I am telling you I am not coordinated enough." Helena picked up the sticks and she twirled them around. She dropped one on her foot. Helena hopped around. "Ow."  
  
Barbara chuckled. "They aren't batons, Helena. You hold them like this." Barbara showed her the correct positioning and some basic moves. "You ready?"  
  
"Bring it on!" Helena said and got into a defensive position.  
  
Barbara put some easy strikes on Helena who blocked them.  
  
"Good.", Barbara said. She tried some more difficult moves and some of them got through Helena's defences. "All right let's change this up. You attack me."  
  
Helena went naturally into attack mode. Every swing and strike was blocked effortlessly by Barbara. Helena became frustrated to no end. Helena slammed the sticks to the ground in anger. Her eyes changed to cat-like.  
  
"Pick those up." Barbara said calmly.  
  
"No!", Helena replied angerly. "This is stupid using stupid sticks to fight!" Helena crossed her arms and stared at Barbara in defiance.  
  
"Helena, using these stupid sticks is one of my main ways of defending myself. Weapons can be very useful in the right way." Barbara explained.  
  
Helena took the sticks again and attacked with fierce determination. She landed a blow to Barbara's right shoulder. Barbara winced and compensated by pulling her sticks closer to her body. Helena moved faster, furiously swinging both arms. Barbara blocked all the blows, except one. Helena landed a devastating blow to Barbara's left temple. She fell heavily to the floor and the chair over her.  
  
The girl released the sticks and they fell to the ground. Her hands went to her mouth. "What have I done!" She whispered. She ran to Barbara and pushed the chair out of the way.  
  
"Barbara? Oh God, Barbara, please be okay!" Helena gingerly touched Barbara's face and put her other hand in the back of her head; her hand came away bloody.  
  
"Oh no.Alfred!!" Helena screamed. "Alfred I need help!!!"  
  
Alfred was downstairs and he heard Helena screaming. He went upstairs as fast as he could. Alfred ran into the gym to see Helena crying over Barbara's head on her lap caressing her hair.  
  
"Don't go please, don't go, I need you." Helena sobbed.  
  
"Let me see Miss Helena, what happened?" Alfred kneeled next to her.  
  
"She made me practice with those sticks and I hit her in the head. Help her please Alfred. There is so much blood." Helena looked at Alfred with her eyes full of tears.  
  
"I need take her to her room." Alfred said calmly. He had seen situations like this so many time that he was unphased by them. He noticed Barbara had a large gash in the back of her ear and a fast growing lump just above her temple. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and placed it over the gash to stop the bleeding "Go to the infirmary and bring me the box on the second shelf." he said. "it is the emergency kit. Also, get some ice there is an ice bag in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom."  
  
Helena did as she was told and ran to the infirmary.  
  
An hour later, Helena was pacing like a caged tiger in Barbara's room. It seemed like Barbara had been unconscious an eternity. Alfred had bandaged Barbara's head. The gash was not that deep so it didn't need any stitches. He had gone to clean the gym while Barbara recovered her sense. Helena constantly turned her head to look her mentor and watched the clock on the nightstand. She would check occasionally just to make sure Barbara was still breathing. She continued to pace at a furious rhythm.  
  
She stopped to move when she saw Barbara move slightly, she ran and kneeled on the side of her mattress. Barbara frowned and groaned weakly; her head throbbed terribly.  
  
"Barbara are you okay?", a worried Helena asked.  
  
Barbara opened her eyes slowly and took her hand to the back of her head. "What happened?" she mumbled feeling the gauze with her fingers.  
  
Helena felt ashamed "I am so sorry, it's all my fault"  
  
Barbara closed her eyes and remembered, "You were too fast I didn't even see you swing."  
  
"Sorry, I never will do it again.", Helena replied.  
  
"It's okay Helena.", Barbara read the fear in the girl's eyes. "It was just an accident."  
  
"You had me so worried I don't want to loose you too." Helena said as she hugged her..  
  
"It was just a training accident Hel." Barbara noticed the kid was trembling  
  
"It doesn't matter if I train or not, I will never fight again." Helena looked at her with fear.  
  
Okay. Helena calm down and listen to me." She took her face between her hands "I would never force you to do something you don't want to do but you can't let your fears stop you. This was just an accident understand? An accident!"  
  
"But."  
  
"It's time that you faced your fears. You can't step back and hide every time you feel scared."  
  
"I don't hide."  
  
"Yes you do. I'm going to support you, but I'm also going to help you turn this weakness into a strength in you. I will do that for you if you want me to. Okay? You are too strong, stronger than you ever would have realize. Take out that strength, kill your fears."  
  
"But I."  
  
"You can do all the things that you propose to do in your life and more. I'm not going to sit around and let that the fear control your life" Barbara said her with firm voice "You are an excellent fighter but as soon as you feel fear you stop. You need to free yourself of the chains of the fear. Understand? We are going to keep training. This was just an accident, it was not your fault and you are not going to surrender just because of this. I'm not going to let you."  
  
Helena looked her without saying a word and just nodded.  
  
* * * 


	9. Facing fears

Next day Helena walked in the gym in a bad mood. She wasn't convinced yet to fight but Barbara didn't give her choices. Her mentor had a small patch over her back head. She was taking her time bandaging her hands. Barbara began to be impatient; she knew Helena was doing that on purpouse. She wheeled toward the cabinet and took a batarang; with out advice, she threw it to her knees.  
  
Helena was lost in her thoughts she suddenly felt her eyes changed and instinctively jumped up. The batarang crossed down her legs. She landed on her feet glaring to Barbara who took the batarang with her hands.  
  
"What was that?" she asked.  
  
"Don't play with me Helena" Barbara said angry.  
  
"Barbara."  
  
"Are you ready?" the redhead let the batarang and took her escrima sticks. She threw one to the kid that catched it in the air.  
  
"I'm not sure to do this." Helena said looking Barbara advance to her, the electric wheelchair gave her most mobility and speed.  
  
"About what are you sure? About you are scared?" Barbara asked.  
  
"I'm not scared. You are hurt!" she pointed her patch.  
  
"Don't use me as an excuse." Barbara wheeled to her.  
  
"Barbara I'm not sure I want to be in family business." Helena raised her hands.  
  
"It's not about family business, it's about survive. You are the daughter of Batman."  
  
"I didn't want be his daughter" Helena shouted.  
  
".And Catwoman" Barbara continued with out listen her "You need to be prepared, if some day anyone discover who are you your life would be in danger, they both had many enemies."  
  
"Damn! Why I couldn't have normal parents?"  
  
"You are who you are; you can't avoid it! It's our destiny!"  
  
"Don't start again!" Helena sighed.  
  
"You are scared about who you are!" Barbara circled her and threw her a light blow with her stick that Helena blocked with the stick that she had in her hand..  
  
"That's not true" the kid said.  
  
"Yes, you have fear of your own!" The red head threw her another blow.  
  
"Are you nuts?"  
  
"Yes. is that." Barbara stop in front of her "You are scared, scared to fail your mother."  
  
Helena hesitated "That. no. that's."  
  
"Do you think that maybe you couldn't be better than her, have afraid of her image?" Barbara hit her leg. Helena groaned and took her hand to her leg. "Focus Helena" The old woman said in loud voice.  
  
"I'm focused. Don't involve her" Helena said.  
  
"You are scared as a little girl." Barbara attacked her twice  
  
"I'm not a girl." Helena blocked the blows and attacked her, Barbara stopped it.  
  
"I said focus!" Barbara exclaimed and gave her a hard blow that threw her to the floor. Before she could stood up, she had the stick over her throat. "You can't let your emotions control you; you are a slave when you let that you anger and feelings control you; think clearly, be free."  
  
Helena in a bad mood took off the stick over her throat and stood up. She faced Barbara. "Did you want a fight?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I want a fight," Barbara glared to her "a real fight, a fight with a woman that don't feel scared of herself."  
  
"What are you taking about?"  
  
"You are of your own. You don't accept your self, you are running of you, you are hiding of you!"  
  
"No, that's not true!" the kid shouted.  
  
Barbara attacked her and Helena avoided her blows. She tried to surprise her with a hit in her knee but he girl jumped back.  
  
"Why are you afraid of discover yourself?"Barbara asked.  
  
"I'm not afraid!" Helena's eyes shone.  
  
"Yes you are, maybe you are afraid of couldn't control your self and your strength; but for that is training Helena, or maybe about you can't be as good as your father." Barbara attacked her again.  
  
"That's not true!" Helena avoided the blow and smashed harder the stick of Barbara. She needed lowered her head fast to avoid a blow.  
  
"Don't fight with anger, fight with your head!" Barbar took off one of the sticks in Helena's hand and continued her attack ".Maybe you are just a shadow of them..."  
  
Helena felt the rabid growing in her and she was going to attack her but she stopped. She looked her with anger; Barbara could saw her feral eyes.  
  
"Enough!" Helena smashed the stick again the wall breaking it. "Let me alone!"  
  
"No, you need face your self! Why are you scare about you, about what you are?"  
  
"Why do you think that I'm scared of me?"  
  
"Prove me you aren't."  
  
Helena gave her back and put her hands over her waist. "I'm not scared." she said in low voice. "Is just that I never imagined that I. I could do all the things that I do."  
  
".And more." Barbara wheeled to her.  
  
Helena rest her back in the wall and slip down. She took her hands to her head "Maybe I'm afraid, yes, that I can't manage it and do something wrong. It don't care me if I kill a damn murder as my mother one; but I'm scare to hurt an innocent, to be confused and don't be capable of distinguish it and commit a mistake, a big mistake."  
  
"For that is training, to learn to control our self, to know our limits; to don't kill."  
  
"Don't ask me don't kill the son of bitch that kill my mother the day that I will face him!"  
  
"Helena remember, revenge might dull the pain, but the less we feel, the less we are." Barbara said to her.  
  
"I don't understand you." Helena moved her head "I never could understand why you protect so much the criminals."  
  
"If you kill you turn in one. Some day you will understand."  
  
Helena lowered her head and crossed her arms on her knees keeping silence. Barbara put a towel over her neck and wheeled back to exit of the training room letting Helena lost in her thoughts.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara felt upset and entered the kitchen looking for some water. Alfred was there preparing the dinner and could read the annoyance on her face.  
  
"What is the matter?" He asked knowing the answer was Helena.  
  
"It's hard to talk with her, she is really obstinate." Barbara said accepting the glass of water that Alfred had poured for her. "She thinks we can kill."  
  
"She is impetuous . as you were." Alfred observed.  
  
"I never thought about killing some one."  
  
"But you reacted by following your feelings like she is doing now; and It took time control it."  
  
"Alfred." Barbara put the glass over the table and looked him "Why you always do it?"  
  
"Excuse me. Do what?  
  
"You know about what I'm talking about." Barbara wheeled to her room "Okay, don't say more; I understand; I'm taking a bath."  
  
Alfred prepared a tray with a glass with water and walked to the gym. Helena was still sitting on the floor looking it with her arms crossed over her knees. He entered and offered her the tray.  
  
"Bad day?"  
  
"I don't understand her. " Helena took the glass of water "She always follows the rules; the criminals don't. why I can't kill? They are bad. One of them killed my mother and now he is free."  
  
"You must try not to hurt people." Alfred held his hands on his back.  
  
"Even bad people?" Helena raised her head to him.  
  
"I know it's hard. But you can't, you have the advantage, are meta. You have to be responsible with your powers because that's what being strong is all about"  
  
"I don't know if I want to be like him yet..."  
  
".or like her?" Alfred asked.  
  
Helena sighed "No, I don't want be like her. well I mean yes. Not in work. I mean, like she was, as a person but not as the other thing. You understand?"  
  
"Clearly."  
  
"I felt good when I had the opportunity to help Barbara when that man tried to kill her." Helena stood up "I felt in that moment that I have a special gift and that I can help others with it. but it is too much responsibility and. many rules. I didn't know that a hero followed so many rules. I can't fight and stop to think how to avoid hurting the bad guy when he just has it in his mind to kill me. It doesn't make sense. I don't know if I can do it."  
  
"Not everyone can be a hero, just special people like you." Alfred said. "For that reason Miss Barbara is training you, she believes in you; she is not an easy person. And you know that she would never put all her trust in you if she doesn't believe in your capabilities and in your heart. She saw you have a hero's heart."  
  
"How she could see the things that I can't see?" Helena put a towel over her neck.  
  
"Opening your eyes and your heart." He stepped out the training room. "And of course, practice." 


	10. A ring thing

Helena had been thinking about what Barbara had told her about her fears. For her it was a surprise discover her own abilities, she knew she was meta, but she had never stopped to think that she would develop it and help other with her abilities. She walked toward Barbara's classroom distractedly; she opened the door and saw a man kneeling over a woman's body. The man stood up and turned to see her; was Killer Croc, she looked down, Barbara was unconscious. She felt the anger growing inside her and she jumped over him. The man slapped her and she crashed against the chairs. Before she could stand up she felt the strong a big hand of him taking her neck, she struggled to be free but he was too strong. And smashed her back against the locker harder. She felt she couldn't breath and tried unsuccessfully to be free. Her mind began to blur and opened her mouth trying to take air to her lungs. * * *  
  
Helena woke up sweating and breathing fast. She raised her head; she realized she was alone suffocating with her face against the pillow. She sat up immediately and looked around. It was just a nightmare again. She hated the demons that followed her constantly in her dreams. Facing them was easier said than done. She held her pillow and rested her back in the headboard thinking. She looked out the door the light was on. She didn't see Barbara that day, the red head had been in a course and later she had gone to a dinner with her father. Helena stood up and walked out. Barbara was working at the Delphi system; she took off her eyeglasses and put her fingers over the bridge of her nose. She felt like she was at a dead end; she was on the case of a serial killer and she couldn't get any leads. She was sure that he followed the victims; he knew exactly the moment and the place to attack them alone and with out witness. In the other side, her mind was working, thinking about Killer Croc. He had told her before he left that he would be back to kill her. "You never sleep?" the soft voice of Helena made her jump in fright. "God Helena!" Barbara covered her face with her hands "I told you don't be so quiet!" Helena rubbed her left eye and yawned, "I'm sorry, I can't avoid it." "Hey you're supposed to be sleeping, what are you doing here?" Barbara thought and turned to saw Helena, she froze. The kid had a nose ring. "Ah, no that's not!" she said. "Not what?" Helena asked. "Everything you want, but not a nose piercing, you look like a small bull. Was that what the money was for?". "Yes." Helena said trying to convince Barbara "It's cool." "Cool my ass, Let's go to the lab I'll take it off." Barbara felt really mad. She wheeled to the lab. "No Barbara, this is very cool, really." "If you don't let me take you that damn thing off, I swore you that I'll put a side of a chain on that ring and the other side to the wheelchair!" Barbara turned her chair to see her and immediately wheeled to the lab. Helena saw Barbara's eyes burning and she followed her in silence with her face down. A few minutes later they returned to the lab. Barbara had taken the nose ring from Helena; she walked behind her with a small cloth on her nose. "Great, now I have four holes in my nose" the kid said mad. "Better than be chained, and as you said, you heal faster. Soon it would disappear." Barbara said in a hard tone "Think twice before you decide make another hole in your body young lady." "Okay, okay, change of matter. what are you doing wake up so late." Helena sat next to her. "I'm trying to find a lead to catch Killer Croc." Barbara looked her monitor. "The guy that attacked us? Why he looks like alligator?" "Waylon Jones had a rare condition that gave him reptilian-like skin." Barbara kept an eye on her "He stole the wrestling promoter's money, escaped to Gotham City and became a master thief, extortionist, and murderer. My father is certain that his lawyer got him free." "Do you think he would attack you again?" Helena asked her nervous feeling her glaze. "He told me he would. I need to find him first, he is not too smart." Barbara did a pause and sighed. She turned her wheelchair to see her again and fixed her eyes on Helena's and kept silent.  
  
The kid still held the cloth over her nose "I told you I'm sorry Barbara" she said. "Helena. I want to talk to you about." Barbara did a pause "I saw you following me." The girl blushed. "I know that you are worried about me but. You can't live behind me; you have your own life, as I can't be following you all time. I can take care of my self, don't worry." "Yes, sure, like the other night." Helena said ironically. "Helena this is my work, I accept the responsibility of it and I don't want you to be responsible for my life. I told you, thanks for help me last night but. please, don't feel responsible for me. That isn't good and isn't fair for either of us. We need to keep going, but we can't chain ourselves to each other. Don't feel afraid, we can't live feeling afraid, we can't live hiding, I already told you once." Helena sighed and nodded.  
  
"That doesn't mean that I don't love you or that I'm not grateful for you. I just want you to live your own life, and not live your life just because of me." "Sorry Barbara I understand." Helena knew Barbara was right. For the last few months she had been trying to deal with many fears; and all those fears sometimes made her lose control. Barbara had showed her that many times. She felt stupid at that moment; Barbara had been a hero many years, she had more experience and was more prepared than her: an orphan teenager. "Hey" Barbara looked at her sad face and stroked her hair "Helena, don't feel bad. I was like you many times, and I made many mistakes just as you do. You are learning as I was. That is not something that should make feel you ashamed. You are strong and incredibly intelligent, you learn fast. You could fight against Killer Croc with out training; I'm so proud of you." "Yea?" she raised her head surprised. "Yes! It's true! You are marvellous Helena. Don't ever doubt yourself, ever." She took her hand "I'm often hard on you, and I'm sorry; but I do it because I know that you could be better, that you could improve, be as good and maybe better than me and many other heros. I'm sure you will be as good as your father some day. I press you because I know you can give more." Helena smiled lightly; she felt much better listening to those words. She always had thought that Barbara pressed her because she didn't have the skills and capability. "Thanks Barbara." "Now young lady, go to sleep, it's late." She looked some photos on the screen. "And those pictures?" "Another case, murderess, four guys, between 29-40." Barbara said. "May I?" "Of course, look it." Curious, Helena sat and began to read silently the information on the screen while Barbara wheeled to the next computer to close the files. It had been a long night without results, but she was sure she would find a clue soon. "All the parents were at the Police academy?" Helena asked.  
  
"No, just two, the other two are a lawyer and a doctor." "No, they were all at the police academy." "No, look carefully." Barbara put some disks in order. "Well, if you read in 'Jobs' yes but if you read in 'others' at the end you can read that the doctor was in the police academy for four months and the lawyer for just two." Helena surprised her with her comment and Barbara turned her face to her "Excuse me?" "All the fathers of victims were at the police academy." Helena said. Barbara wheeled next to her "You're right, they were there at same time. in the same year." Barbara typed some info and waited a few seconds the results "and in the same. year." "Where did you get all that data? Is it legal?" Helena pursed her lips. "No." Helena was going to speak but Barbara interrupted her with a pointing finger "And don't say a word about what are you thinking in this moment." She knew the girl would protest because she had given her a lecture about following rules and laws. Helena understood the message and kept silent. Barbara checked the files again. The woman had found the clue that she had been looking for. It had been right under her nose and she didn't even notice it. "You're right. You found the lead that I had been looking for" Helena pounted. "That means that you keep working here." Barbara started to type faster again in the computer. "Maybe now I can find out who he is! There must be a connection between the murder and the people in the Police academy." "I'll go to sleep. Nite." Helena stood up with the colthe on her nose.  
  
"Good night. And thanks!"  
  
"Was a cool ring Barbara." Helena said walking to her room. Barbara smiled and continued typing in her keyboard.  
  
* * * 


	11. Helena, Helena, Helena

Next Monday, Alfred entered the lab, Barbara had been working there for some weeks almost all day in a small device. He stood up behind her.  
  
"Good afternoon miss Barbara, what is that?"  
  
"I'm finishing a special device." she answered raising the small bat-shaped object.  
  
"Looks like an earring" Alfred said looking it.  
  
"Yes, but it's a device, this is the necklace, this bird in the middle is the mic and the earrings are the speakers."  
  
"For Miss Helena?"  
  
"Yes, I don't want her to prowl the streets alone, and I can't join her. She doesn't have the experience and I don't want something to happen to her."  
  
"It's nice."  
  
"You like it? I make it thinking of her. Helena is vain, she won't wear anything that she doesn't like."  
  
"Do you think she is ready to be on the streets?"  
  
"I think she just needs to train a bit more, but she's very good. I quit to the Suicide Squad; I need to give all my time to her. Helena is rebellious and still needs to learn to control herself."  
  
"Did you quit?"  
  
"Yes. I want give all my attention to her. She is excellent but I need to keep an eye on her."  
  
"Yes that is true and a good idea; that reminded me that the Principal of the High school called you a few minutes ago; something of the football team's that Miss Helena stole. A panther he said, she's suspended for three days."  
  
"What?" Barbara asked surprised. "The panther? The real one? That big animal?"  
  
"I'm afraid to say yes. Some of the guys made her angry and she took revenge." Alfred explained.  
  
Barbara covered her eyes with her hands "That kid! Why does she do these things?"  
  
"She is as rebellious as her mother was."  
  
"But her mother never kidnapped mascots, she just stole jewels! God! Where is she?"  
  
"She might get here in a few minutes." Alfred looked at his watch.  
  
"And the panther? Where is it?" Barbara took a sip of her coffee.  
  
"Oh, it's fine, she hid the animal in your office. Clever."  
  
Barbara spit out "In my office???"  
  
"Well, I in her place would do the same, no one would look for a panther in your office miss Barbara."  
  
The elevator door opened and Helena walked in. She puckered her frown when she saw Barbara in the lab glaring to her: She walked to her with her school bag hanging over her shoulder.  
  
"Why my office?" Barbara asked annoyed.  
  
"No one would look for a black panther in your office." Helena said avoiding her look.  
  
"Just as I thought." Alfred pointed. Barbara fixed her eyes on him, she wasn't joking.  
  
"Helena you kidnapped a savage animal." Barbara scolded her.  
  
"She's cute, and not dangerous." Helena said in low voice knowing Barbara was really mad.  
  
"She?"  
  
"Magda, the panther, it's a she."  
  
"Anyway, what did you have in mind? Do you know the trouble that you are in now?"  
  
Alfred walked out the lab. He couldn't avoid laughing; it was hard to scold Helena with that innocent attitude that she always showed every time she was in trouble.  
  
"And you" Barbara said to him before he left "Don't do it again."  
  
"Excuse me?" Alfred asked.  
  
"Every time she is in trouble you spoil her behind my back. This time I ask you don't do it. This is too much!" she turned again to face Helena.  
  
"As you say miss Barbara." Alfred stepped out not before winked his eye to the kid.  
  
"How many days?" Helena looked her feet.  
  
"You're punished for a month if you don't tell me why you did it, but if you will tell me, I'll only ground you for one week. It's your choice."  
  
"I take the month."  
  
Barbara rolled her eyes "Why you don't want to tell me?"  
  
"It's personal, okay?" Helena said.  
  
"No, is not okay. Do you think it's normal to kidnap mascots at High School? Have you tried just once to talk when you are mad with someone? That would be better than stealing a. jaguar!"  
  
"Panther."  
  
"It's the same! Wasn't a rabbit!"  
  
"Barbara I choose a month of punishment; I'll stay here, just please don't ask me."  
  
"What were you thinking when you took that animal?" Barbara asked.  
  
"Well. I was guessing how to hide a black panther at school." Helena responded in a low voice.  
  
"Helena!"  
  
"I was thinking of that, sorry" she said.  
  
"Tell me what happened, this is less than I expect of you."  
  
The kid sat in the chair next to her "Why I should I tell you if you're going to punish me anyway?"  
  
"To help me understand why you do these crazy things and so I won't be mad with you." Barbara tried to hold her temper.  
  
"We were at the cafeteria and they always bother us." Helena lowered her head.  
  
"They who?"  
  
"The older kids, the ones that play on the football team. They're always annoying the new students; they think that because they are strong they could do anything to anyone. They told me that." Helena bit her lip.  
  
"I'm listening:" Barbara fixed her eyes on hers crossing her arms.  
  
"Forget it, better punish me."  
  
"Helena."  
  
"Is not enough punish me?" Helena raised her voice.  
  
"No."  
  
Helena looked away and took a deep brath "They told me that you are an usseles disabled! Okay? Damn!" she stood up annoyed. Barbara swallowed with out know what to say. Helena continued. "I almost broke his nose but you always tell me not fight; so they said that they are the best and are proud it is their panther. I just wanted to bother them a bit. I was going to give back the panther, I never thought to steal it; but Gibson was scared and opened his big mouth. I hate Gibson."  
  
Barbara sighed and looked her. "Revenge is not good and, neither is using your strength against weak people either. I'm proud of you because you not hit him when he offended me. It is important to use your powers with intelligence. But still isn't correct kidnapp the panther."  
  
"But." Helena tried to add.  
  
"You can't let your emotions guide your life. A week with no leaving, no privileges, nothing. And extra work on the gym." Barbara pointed at her, and almost killed her with her look.  
  
"Bar."  
  
"And don't say a word more. Conversation done. Now go to your room."  
  
Helena stood up and pressed her lips; she took her bag and dragged her feet to her room feeling sad. Now Barbara was really mad with her. Barbara looked at her go to her room, she was upset and went back to her work with the device. She understood her reactrion, maybe she had been so rude but she couldn't approve her procedues.  
  
*Steal a panther* she groaned to her self *Damn!* 


	12. A new try

Thanks for your comments, are so nice. Did you store a monkey Helenakyle1? That was so funny!!!!!  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * **  
  
Helena continued her training; Barbara watched her in silence, the girl learns fast and she was as good as many other heroes that she knew. But her temperament, her temperament still worried her so much. The anger would blind her in any moment and she needed work on that. But the anger and the emotions was always the most difficult part to manage for any hero, until her. She had a lot of troubles when she began to be Batgirl. Barbara was working at her desk checking the work of some students; she liked it, it relaxed her. She heard a loud crash downstairs; she raised her head and took off her glasses, waiting. Silence. She waited a few seconds before she put her glasses back on and kept working.  
  
Another loud sound was heard, Barbara raised her head and sighed.  
  
"Helena, you need to hold the batarang and press it firmly with your fingers before you throw it!" she shouted.  
  
"She is going to destroy all the ornaments downstairs." Alfred said walking in.  
  
"Is she using the target?"  
  
"Yes, but she hits everything except the target."  
  
Barbara wheeled to the elevator and went down stairs. Helena was picking up some books of the floor and putting it on a desk. Barbara looked around, all was a disaster.  
  
"I see you had been working:" she said.  
  
"Is hard control this thing." Helena said raising the Batarang.  
  
"Come here." Barbara extended her hand and Helena stood up and gave her the batarang. "the sharp of the batarang is a circle, is well balanced; you need use the presure of your fingers in the side that you want that it goes."  
  
Barbara threw the batarabg and it hit the target, the top of some empty tins. It back to her hands. "See it?" she gave the batarang to Helena.  
  
"Would be better a gun." The kid raised her brow.  
  
"Helena."  
  
"I was joking."  
  
"Keep trying and don't broke anything." Barbara pointed her.  
  
"It's boring." Helena mumbled.  
  
Barbara looked at her in silence a few seconds. "Okay," she finally said. "I have an idea. Follow me."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Just follow me." suddenly Barbara groaned and leaned holding her right thigh.  
  
Helena kneeled in fornt of her and looked her worried. "Barbara."  
  
"It's okay, it's okay." she said clentching her teeth. "It's just a cramp in my leg."  
  
"What.?" Helena felt confused, she wasn't supossed to feel.  
  
"Oh." Barbara smiled in the middle of her pain "It happens sometimes."  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Well, you see there are certain parts of the brain that allow you to feel in different parts of your body. Now even though my spine was damaged, the part of the brain that allows me to feel my legs is still working, so even though I can't actually move my legs, I can still feel them sometimes."  
  
"It's confusing." Helena didn't understand what was happening.  
  
"Yes I know it is. Let's go."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Sure; I'd like to see you in action."  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara took her to a lonely part of the city, in the dockyards. She wanted the girl to learn to calculate distances in her jumps. Helena was on the rooftop of a building and looked to the next one. She turned on her radio.  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
Barbara said. She was at the street, three floors below.  
  
Helena ran and jumped between the two buildings, the distance was long. But she had two fails; she couldn't calculate the distances and she wasn't sure of her own skills yet. She moved her arms trying to catch the next building.  
  
  
  
Helena tried to hold the cornice but she failed again, her body hit against the wall and bounced back. Barbara moved her head.  
  
Barbara warned.  
  
Helena moved faster and turned, she fell on her feet and rolled on the floor she stopped next to Barbara.  
  
"Your landings still are awful." The red head said.  
  
"It's just a small detail."  
  
"You move your arms." Barbara explained.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes you move your arms with out control trying to kept the balance in the air. I saw you."  
  
"Ok, I'll try it again." Helena jumped over the rooftop to try again.  
  
The kid tried again but she couldn't, she fell over the rooftop of the building landing but this time was impossible turn on time and she fell over some garbage bags. Barbara observed her trying to not laugh. Helena stood up cleaning her clothes.  
  
"I can't calculate well. why?"  
  
"Because you are looking the border of the next building. You need see farther. If you limit your point of view you are limiting your capabilities. Try to see farther."  
  
Helena jumped again to the rooftop. There she stepped back looking the next building.  
  
"Barbara said, no limits, no limits," she said to her self "I need focus farther, farther. Okay, here I'll go."  
  
Barbara looked up waiting, suddenly she saw Helena jumping, was an amazing jump. But something was wrong. She took her radio and turned it on. "Helena, be careful you jump using too much impulse."  
  
She saw her disappear on the next building. She could hear a loud noise after a few seconds. Barbara moved her head and turned on again her walkie- talkie.  
  
"Helena, it's okay don't look limits but at the same time you need avoid overpower your skills in a way that you can't control. Where are you now?"  
  
Silence was the response.  
  
"Helena can you hear me?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Hel, we have so much work to do." Barbara just ear the silence on her radio again.  
  
"I hope she is not hurt." Barbara sighed. She waited a few seconds and tried again "Hel. are you okay?"  
  
Suddenly Helena fell next to her and rolled on the floor, a wood box next to the wall stopped her.  
  
Barbara moved her head and said: "That was the worst of all your worst landings."  
  
"Hey, it's hard to fall on my feet." Helena put her knees on the floor and looked at her.  
  
"Why you didn't responded when I called you?" the red head asked.  
  
"The radio broke with the fall." Helena raised a piece of it and stood up.  
  
"Where did you fall?"  
  
"It was cool!! In the building next to this one, are close; but I guess was a kind of a piper store because there were a lot of rooftops and I threw it to the floor. There was a big noise."  
  
"Yes I heard that.. So you jumped.?"  
  
"I guess almost 80 yards."  
  
"Wow, that is terrific." Barbara felt surprised  
  
"Yes!" Helena smiled.  
  
"Well now we need focus on your jumps and landings." Barbara wheeled to the Hummer.  
  
"Are we finished training? We just started!" Helena protested.  
  
"With that noise the police will surely come here, how are we going to explain that we are here jumping between buildings? Let's go."  
  
"Good point." Helena cleaned her clothes off again and followed Barbara. 


	13. Croc Claws

Breeze: Thanks so much, well, I was guessing just a thir part: Senior year (18-19). After that are 4 years in blank until whe see her in the pilot. Would be possible but I need think about it really hard becouse the serie just had 13 chapters and you can't find many info about their past.  
  
* * *  
  
The next night Barbara looked her watch; she had been waiting for Helena outside the High School for almost 10 minutes. It was almost 8 o'clock at night. Helena suddenly appeared in the window of her side.  
  
"Hey, may I drive?" she asked putting her hands over the window that was rolled down.  
  
"It's late" Barbara said. "Where have you been?"  
  
"I was taking some notes and my math professor stopped me. Let me drive."  
  
Barbara nodded and moved to the passenger seat; Helena opened the door and jumped over the front seat.  
  
"Press that button and to change the control of the steering wheel to the pedals."  
  
"I know, I know." Helena turned on the car.  
  
"How was your exam?"  
  
"Very good" she took off her bag a paper and raised proud her exam " A ninety."  
  
"A ninety?" Barbara took the paper "Hey this is great, we can celebrate it with a pizza."  
  
"Just one?" Helena drove the Hummer and exit to the road.  
  
"Yes just one. You eat so much."  
  
"It's a ninety Barbara!"  
  
"Okay, a pizza and a coke."  
  
"Well, I'm landing like a master now after every jump." Helena went around a curve.  
  
"Yes, it's true. But's it's also true, that your joke with the panther caused me a lot of trouble." Barbara glared at her.  
  
The kid blushed.  
  
"I hope you keep your promise to be good," Barbara said.  
  
Suddenly a loud noise was heard on the roof of the car. They looked up.  
  
"What was that?" Helena asked.  
  
With out warning, something smashed hard into the windshield. The glass cracked. Barbara raised her hands instinctively to protect her face. Helena closed her eyes; the car moved to the right off the road and the kid tried to go back to the road. Another blow smashed against the window on her side. Helena moved her body to the right trying yet to regain the control off the car. Another blow hit the window and the glass broke. A green hand took the steering wheel and moved it trying to take the car off the road. Barbara noticed was Killer Croc.  
  
Helena hit the arm with her elbow and it released the steering wheel. She was trying to take the car back on the road and in that moment the door on her side opened. Killer Croc was there hanging, he took her by the lapel and try to push her out; but the seat belt help her to kept in her seat. Barbara took the steering wheel and Helena used both hands to try to release herself.  
  
"Watch out!" Barbara shouted, they were again in a curve and a car came in the other side. Barbara moved the steering wheel to the right to avoid the impact and the car broke the protection of the curve. Killer Croc released Helena and jumped. The girl tried to regain the control of the car while it slid on a hill. A depression made the car turned and somersaulted down the hill. The car stopped a few meters down and crashed against a tree.  
  
Silence.  
  
Barbara shook her head; her head was bleeding and had some cuts on her body; she looked around and to Helena; she was dazed and she slowly began to open her eyes.  
  
"Helena, are you okay?" Barbara asked taking off her security belt to move better and examined her; she had a cut on her face and a deep one in one of her arms. Helena groaned lightly. She took off her seat belt and looked for her bag to take off her escrima sticks. She put them on her back.  
  
"Helena are you okay?" Barbara asked again.  
  
"I think so." she whispered. She tried to move but noticed that her left foot was jammed with the brake pedal, it was bend, and the steering wheel was bent against her thighs. "I'm stuck."she looked down. Barbara moved and tried to do a lever with her escrima to release her.  
  
"Can you move your legs?"  
  
"Yes, I'm just stuck." Helena felt danger and her eyes change, she raised her head and saw Killer Croc on the side of Barbara.  
  
"Barbara be." before she could finish the sentence, the door of the side of Barbara was opened and a hand took her by her back. Helena tried to hold onto her but she couldn't move. Killer crook took Barbara her off the car and threw her against the grass. The kid moved desperately trying to raise the steering wheel of her thighs.  
  
"Still alive Gordon? Now we can finish our business." He smiled and looked Helena trapped inside the car. "Ah, I forgot the annoying kid." He walked to the other side.  
  
Barbara sat on the floor and looked him with anger. "Let her alone!" she shouted.  
  
"I see, she is yours?" He smiled looking her.  
  
"She is just a girl, this is between you and me."  
  
"Let me help you to go out." Killer Crock was over Helena she struggled trying to hit him but the uncomfortable position of the car, didn't give her a free movement. Barbara looked desperately; she knew he could kill her easily her hart beat faster. Killer Crock broke the steering wheel and Helena felt a great relief on her legs. Helena could hit him in the face but he was soon over her and held her hands and pulled her out. Helena cried, her foot was still stuck. He pulled her harder again.  
  
"My leg! Stop!" she yelled.  
  
"Oh, are you trapped?" he smiled this would be funny. He pulled her once more and Helena groaned; her foot as trapped and he was twisting it. She bit him hard and he released her. She fell in her back half of her body out of the car in an uncomfortable position twisting her foot making her cry. He moved faster and he was over her taking her leg.  
  
"Don't touch me or I can break it if I want." He screamed glaring to the kid.  
  
"Let me go!" Helena yelled again feeling a great pain in her ankle. She knew he was right and she avoided hit him.  
  
"Now you and I are going to have fun." He said forcing her foot; Helena screamed with tears in her eyes, she felt her mind blurring. A hard hit smashed against Killer Croc head and he dazed stepped back.  
  
"Never touch her again!" Barbara said to him with mad, she had dragged herself next to them. She didn't give him time to recover and hit him hard twice in his knees making him bend down and then she hit him twice in his head stunning him; she hit him once more in his back head and he fell unconscious to the floor.  
  
Helena looked her surprised. Barbara was going to hit him harder and she stopped her hand up; she couldn't let that the anger control her; she took a deep breath and blinked. She put down her stick and her hands over the grass; she couldn't remember the last time that she had felt so much anger inside her. She looked him hurting Helena had blinded her for a few seconds.  
  
"Helena?" she remembered the girl and turned her head to see her.  
  
Helena moved hesitatingly trying to find a comfortable position for her leg. Barbara moved toward her.  
  
"Helena are you okay?" she asked sitting next to her and helping her to sit in the seat again pushing her back up.  
  
"Damn! That nut almost broke my foot." Helena said and sighed with relief.  
  
Barbara looked inside the car and put her stick in a side to pull the break pedal. "It's really stuck." she said.  
  
"Let me try." Helena's eyes changed again and she raised her head, Crock was again up. "Barbara!"   
  
Barbara moved fasted and turned on time to hit him against his head with her stick. Helena bend down and began to pull the pedal with her hands. He attacked Barbara again and took her stick with his hand; with his other hand he raised her of the ground.  
  
"You time is over." He grunted  
  
"Not mine. Yours." Barbara hit him using both hands as a hammer and he released her. She tried to take her escrima back and dragged herself to it, but he stepped on it. Barbara raised her head to see him.  
  
"This is mine:" he said and kicked her in the ribs.  
  
Helena finally could release her foot, she tried to step but her ankle was hurt and she fell to the ground.  
  
Barbara held his leg when he tried to kick her again and made him fall. He moved faster and soon was over her they began to struggle he tried to take her neck to suffocate her and rolled over the grass; but he was strong and he could overwhelm her.  
  
"It's over!" he pressed hard her hands against her neck. Helena hit him in his back with both hands. He released Barbara and turned to see the kid with anger. He tried to hit her, but she moved back. He laughed seeing her hoping as a bunny with one of her legs; she couldn't step on her left foot.  
  
He tried to punch her but she moved faster and avoided his blows; she hit him twice with her fits. He tried to hit her but she grabbed his hand, he held by her waist and both fell to the floor. Croc realized that she was incredibly strong; she rolled and threw him far. She stood up again and when he was near her, she jumped and kicked him. She hit him harder, making him saw stars; he fell back. Helena jumped on his back and grabbed him by his neck pressing hard. Killer Crock stood up with her on his back and struggled, trying to be free.  
  
Barbara looked worried. "Helena!" she yelled when she saw him punched her in her back and hit her hard on the tree; the kid clenched her teeth when she felt the air in her lungs gone. He hit her hard against the tree again and she released him. She fell on her knees trying to recover the air. She saw the shadow of Crock over her and she rolled to avoid a kick.  
  
Helena hesitantly tried to stand up but before she could do it he held her by the waist and threw her again to the grass pressing her neck. His claws buried in her skin. Helena tried to release but he was pressing her harder and was too strong. She moved restlessly trying to breathe and raised her legs frantically feeling desperation; her vision blurred. Barbara saw him suffocating the kid and dragged herself to them, but they were too far.  
  
Helena closed her eyes and stopped trying to breath and to move. Killer Crock looked at her surprised. Suddenly she opened her eyes, and locked her feral pupils on him. He didn't see the blow coming, all turned black. And he fell over her. Helena had hit him hard under his jaw.  
  
Barbara saw him fall over her. "Helena!"  
  
The kid pushed him aside. She rolled over to take air to her lungs. Barbara arrived next to her. Helena was recovering her breath.  
  
"Helena. are you okay?"  
  
The kid nodded and closed her eyes resting her head on the grass. Barbara waited a several minutes until she could recover.  
  
"Thanks." Helena finally could say with a whisper. She took her hand to her neck with marks of his claws.   
  
"Thanks?" Barbara asked.  
  
"The. training works. He was choking me. I couldn't breath and I remember that focus thing that you always told me, think clearly. I guessed that not breathing a few seconds couldn't kill me and I needed to think what to do. So I just stop to fight and close my eyes to think for a moment what to do. Was hard control my self and the desperation, but I could do it. I remembered that you told me about the vulnerable points of a person and the two most near me were the bridge of his nose and the jaw. I opened my eyes and saw the jaw free. He fell like a rag doll."   
  
Barbara smiled and hugged her. 


	14. Baby bird

Barbara checked Helena when they returned to the Clock Tower. Helena needed to wear an ankle brace on her foot and a cane to walk for at least 2 days.  
  
The next day, the kid was watching TV, distractedly. Barbara was downstairs and raised her head to see her; she felt very proud of her protegee. The kid felt more secure about herself and she had improved so much. Barbara took a small box next the computer and wheeled to the living room.  
  
"How are you?" Barbara asked smiling.  
  
"I'm okay, and you?" she questioned, pointing a stitch that Barbara had on her cheek.  
  
"Well, I'm not healing as fast as you, but I'll be okay soon."  
  
"Me too, luckily. It's boring just sitting here."  
  
Barbara gave her the small gift in a box. Helena's eyes shone. "For me? What is it?" Helena asked, curiously taking it.  
  
"Open it."  
  
Helena opened it and saw the necklace and the earrings.  
  
"Hey this is cool! They're mine?" She took it in her hands.  
  
"Yes it's yours, but it's not an ordinary necklace, it's a communication device, we can be in contact when you are outside."  
  
Helena raised her brow. "Are you going to follow me?"  
  
"No, it's to guide you when you are on patrols at night."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"That I guess that you could start to patrol the streets. You have the ability and capability. and your landings are much better now. Let me show you."  
  
Helena giggled and gave the device to Barbara who helped her put it on her neck.  
  
"You can turn it on by pressing the bird," Barbara explained. "And you can call me, you can hear me with the earrings, they are speakers. We can talk while you are on the streets. I'm working on the system, soon I will have a signal that will show me your position on my computer."  
  
"That means that you will know where I am"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"I dunno if that I will like this," Helena said.  
  
"Well, I will be able help you at any moment and guide you." Barbara wheeled back "Looks nice."  
  
"Why a bird?" Helena looked the necklace.  
  
"Because we are like birds of prey. Looking for bad guys."  
  
"It's cool. So I'm officially a hero?"  
  
"No, not yet, first we need start with small missions until you learn more about yourself and skills. But before that, we need to design a costume and a mask.  
  
"Mask? Forget it."  
  
"You need one," Barbara said to her.  
  
"No, I don't need one, I don't like masks, I sweat too much." Helena grumbled.  
  
"Helena, you can't go out without a mask." Barbara was surprised, she couldn't believe what Helena was telling her.  
  
"I can."  
  
"It's dangerous."  
  
"I can't fight with a mask over my face!"  
  
"Anyone could figure out who are you; your life would be at risk," Barbara pointed out.  
  
"Anything you say won't work, I'm not going to wear a mask." Helena crossed her arms. "No one can recognize me at night; I'm sure of that, this city is too big."  
  
"Yes, you are," Barbara warned her. "You can't."  
  
"I can."  
  
"Helena."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes, it's like a tradition." Barbara began to lose her patience.  
  
"Tradition?" Helena raised her brow.  
  
"Most heroes wear a mask."  
  
"You said it: Most, not all."  
  
Barbara shook her head.  
  
"I'm not going to wear a mask." Helena was firm.  
  
"Don't be stubborn!" Barbara exclaimed.  
  
"I'm not stubborn!" Helena protested.  
  
Alfred, in the kitchen, smiled at the discussing. This team was going to be interesting, different characters, personalities, interests, abilities and experiences. Both were smart, intelligent and had the heart and the feelings to be heroes, heroes trying to keep the city safe and to catch the bad guys. He was sure it never would be boring in that house. They were really like Birds of Prey.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Well, this one is over, thanks so much for your kind comments. I'm glad you like it, the thrid part of this is Senior year that I hope begin to post this weekend or the next one.  
  
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!! 


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